Compromising the subject
by Lyssaphra
Summary: There's something about Duo's past he hasn't told his friends. Now that past comes back to haunt him, and it will end up threatening the known world... 12 3x4
1. Default Chapter

Prologue  
  
  
"""January 1, AC 197  
  
I sat down here at the plain desk at L2 about an hour ago, intending to finally write down the story of my life. I mean, it's peacetime now, shouldn't I be able to lift some of that weight off my shoulders without hurting myself or anyone else? Yet, I'm hesitant to do so. I've kept it inside for so long now; I can't let it go without a fight.  
  
That's what I've been doing for the last hour. Fighting with myself. For even as I yearn to tell someone about all this, even if it's just a cheap, two credit notebook, I still can't shake the feeling that it will 'compromise the subject'. The subject, of course, is me. Sheesh, I still can't believe I'm able to speak like that, unfeeling and precise. It's so Heero-ish. If he's on a mission that is.  
  
Hn. I guess if I've come this far, I can as well continue. Reading my previous writing over, I've dropped enough hints already. If Heero ever reads this, he will probably think up a 99% accurate theory on my unintentional little slip-ups so far before even reading this. But then again, he will never get his hands on this book. That, I've seen to long ago.  
  
The first thing I remember in my life is pain. Pain so strong it makes me want to die, pain originating from deep within the base of my neck, burning its agonizing way outwards to my skin. And without looking or feeling, I know I'm bleeding heavily at the base of my neck.  
  
The second thing I remember is blinding lights. Not because they hurt my eyes, but because they didn't. And let me tell you, it feels very strange to have your pupils contract to almost nothing, compensating for the sudden mass of light. It doesn't look very nice either, have I been told.  
  
The third thing I remember is restraints fastened everywhere on my body, holding me down to a hard table. People dressed in white lab rocks and goggles are standing everywhere around me, and they are upset. Not because I'm feeling pain, but because I'm quickly starting to get immune to it.  
  
I remember a dark eyed man glaring at me, jabbing me sharply at the base of my neck, directly at the deep flesh wound. Just a minute before that, it would have made me scream in agony, but now, it doesn't even make me blink. And he said: "Damned kid! The mark won't disappear no matter how much of the skin and flesh around it we remove. Could it be genetic? Could we have made such a huge mistake?"  
  
He didn't speak anymore after that. It is rather hard to speak when you have a crushed chest after all. I don't think they counted on a mere child being able to pack such a punch. After that, my memory goes rather hazy though. I believe there were lots of fighting, running and screaming though. Yet, the next thing I remember is lying on a dirty street, my head in the lap of a slightly older boy with fiery red hair and grey eyes.  
  
"Hey kid!" he said. "Ya look like a truck ran over you or something. Did ya get in trouble with the Fed troops?"  
  
I didn't know what he was talking about, and so I just shrugged. The boy seemed to take it in a stride though, helping me to get to my feet.  
  
"I'm Solo," he cheerily introduced himself. "The Master Thief and the fastest street kid ever. What's yer name?"  
  
I shrugged again. After all, I knew nothing about myself. All I could remember was the lab, running and then waking up here.  
  
"Dunno," I said. "Don't remember."  
  
The boy's face didn't change even a little during my reply. Now I know he was used to that answer.  
  
"Well, then, kid," he said, flinging a lanky arm around my shoulders. "What shall we call you? Cat maybe? Or Ame? Short for amnesia of course."  
  
I crinkled my nose at that. You didn't just call a guy Ame. It sounded so...I dunno...weird. Solo laughed at my response and shrugged.  
  
"Think one up yerself then," he announced. "See if you can do better."  
  
I glared at him, and before I knew my mouth had opened, it had sprouted out a sentence.  
  
"My name is Shinigami," I icily said. "And you better remember it."  
  
Laughter sprung from Solo's throat at that, a genuinely pleased laughter, laughter I always will remember.  
  
"All right, Shinigami," he said.  
  
  
  
That was the first time I met Solo. The self-proclaimed king of thieves, street rat and gang leader. He was the cockiest brat on this side of the galaxy, and that's saying a lot coming from me. Sigh, I guess it was contagious. Anyway, he took me under his wing that day and introduced me to his gang, consisting of a large network of kids, ranging between the ages of three to twelve. And even though he couldn't be very old himself, we all listened to him. He had something special about him, you couldn't ignore him. Besides, there was no dispute about that he knew what he was doing.  
  
We were all orphans, thieves and criminals in general. Growing up without a home wasn't very gentle at L2 at this time, and we were grateful we had Solo. He taught us everything we needed to know. How to fight, how to run, how to lie, steal and get away from overenthusiastic law abiders. There's nothing as irritating as a bunch of people at your heals screaming 'stop that thief'. It was damned hard to get out of those situations in the beginning.  
  
I grew up during the two years I got with the kids. It is the only childhood I had, and I view it as precious. Of course it had its ups and downs, especially during the plague when half of our number, including Solo, died, but there were also times of happiness, as when blonde little Caramel had managed to steal a box with ice-cream for Solo's birthday and we all feasted. Even though we didn't get much more than a teaspoon of ice cream, it was heaven for us.  
  
I never was a normal street kid though, like the other brats. There was always something strange about me, nothing one could put a finger on, but it was there. Things kind of just happened around me. And then there were the mark and the malady. Well, if I must be frank, it wasn't a mark. It was a barcode, you know, like those you mark the stuff in the stores with? And it was fucking stuck in my neck. There was no way to get rid of it. But that wasn't the worst thing. I can practically hear you stare at me and incredulously say 'what can be worse than having a barcode permanently attached to your neck?' all over here. Well just listen to this. It is in the shape of letters, neatly spelling out the words Shinigami Final V. 3.6.6. If you don't call that freaky, there's something wrong with you for certain. Nowadays, I believe it was that barcode the lab people talked about when I first woke up. I'm probably right too.  
  
The malady. Another mystery about me. I have this strange illness, have had it since the beginning. About thrice a week, I collapse into convulsions so strong they render me helpless. It hurts like hell, and when it first happened to me, I thought I was going to die. I didn't though, and after nearly dying because of them making me vulnerable, I learned to suppress them as long as I were still, making it look like I was sleeping. I kind of just lock my muscles and ignore it. It has probably saved my life hundreds of times, and it has certainly kept everyone clueless. The only ones alive today who knows about it are...well, no one. Professor G knew though, and he was the one who gave me the implant to control them. But more about that later.  
  
I said before that Solo died. He died in a plague. A plague most of us street kids contracted and died of. There was an antidote though, and during those painful weeks, our first priority was to find it and steal it. I was the one who finally found it, giving it to the sick kids. It was too late for Solo though, and he died in my arms, making me promise to never cut my hair and to protect the other kids. Now that I think about it, I don't get why he wanted me not to cut my hair. Maybe he had a hair fetish.   
  
It was this event that created the person I am today. Before Solo's death, I had just been the slender brat from hell, Shinigami, Solo's right hand. But after that, I took the name Duo in his remembrance. For he had been the one to make me survive, he was my 'father' in the only way I know. And yes, I know that sounds way weird. He is the Solo to my Duo. Isn't it ironic I ended up being best friends with Heero, Gundam Pilot 01? Another number one to my number two. But now I'm rambling. Let's get on with the story.  
  
When Solo died, passing his mantle to me, the feds had already started to invade our 'peaceful' little colony. After a couple disappearances of my protégées, I quickly realized that L2 wasn't safe for us any longer. So, with my heart aching, I split our network of companions to save us. Not more than five in every group, I sent them off to different places at L2, snuck them onto transports between colonies, heck, once I even managed to sneak a dozen of my friends onboard a shuttle to Earth. I did everything to secure their survival. And even though I didn't save them all, I saved a large amount of them. I know that for a fact, as I've kept in contact with them for all this time. Or rather, they've kept in contact with me. I doubt anyone I know has realized it, but I have a rather inconspicuous and well-informed network of spies on my hands. I've always thought it to be rather paradoxical.  
  
No doubt a bunch of you wonder how a small child could realize all this and figure it all out. Well, the answer is that I don't know. It's not normal, I know, but for me, it felt as natural as breathing. I knew what I was doing. And even though I have more clues to how I did it now than then, I still don't know quite how I did it.  
  
But to skip back to L2. After the 'great emigration' as my friends from that time call it, I was left all alone with five children that chose to stay with me. If you can call them children. Neither of us knew our true age, but I would guess that we were between six and nine in age with me in the middle somewhere. Their names were Snake, Crooker, Jewel and Skipper. Sadly enough, none of them are alive nowadays.  
  
Just a few weeks after 'the great emigration' our hideout was bulldozered to the ground and we were shipped off to a nearby church with an orphanage. It was there I got my formal education and found the love of adults. I mean, while I knew hundreds of ways to get food on the table and even more ways to render someone larger and stronger than you harmless, I couldn't read or write. And while my street siblings loved me, I had never had an adult care for me before. It was a novelty I never wanted to let go of.  
  
It was at the Maxwell Church my braid saw the light of the day. I had never cut my hair before, and as Solo had loved it long, I wanted to keep it that way. Nurse Helen, my 'mother', had a different opinion though. We had a rather loud discussion over the matter until father Maxwell interrupted. The compromise was to have my hair tightly braided all the time. A new tradition was born.  
  
Life at the church was good, and I revelled in being there for almost a year. I went to school, learned things and got to know the bright sides of humanity to opposite the dark sides I already knew. There were minor quarrels, but it was nothing serious. The bullies who actually went to hospital got out after just a couple of days, so no harm done so to speak. But then the Day came.  
  
The situation at L2 was tense back then. Different fractions warred openly at the streets and death became everyday news to the colonists. I never had anything to do with it though; if you don't count the raids I led to their food supplies to help the kids to survive. The good Father and sister Helen disapproved of course, but there was nothing they could do. But then it reached us.  
  
Soldiers came to our church and threatened us, cussing about not having a mobile suit. To prevent anyone from getting harmed, I volunteered to get the soldiers one. I managed, but at a terrible prize. When I came back, everyone was dead. Or in sister Helen's case dying. She blessed me with her dying breath, wishing me a good life. The massacre ended with over two hundred casualties. I was the only survivor, and it tore on my soul. There were many moments then when I pondered taking my life.   
  
It is safe, as well as true, to say that I was caught up in the thirst for revenge after this. So angry was I, so desperate, that I contacted one of the fractions, the Deathscythe and begged to join them. They were hesitant at first, but they quickly came to understand the advantage they gained by using me. No one thought that a smallish kid was a fierce and unfeeling killer after all. I earned my name Shinigami over and over again the four years I stayed with them.   
  
During those years, I learned more about death and destruction than even the wars taught me. The other soldiers in the group taught me everything I know about weapons, mechanics and stealth. And as I was a dedicated student in these subjects, I learned more, better than anyone would have thought. In the end, even my own group members started to fear me and my nonchalant attitude when it came to killing, no matter sex, age, race or religion.  
  
The turnabout came when my fellow street kids called me to Earth on an important matter. The time in their loving company and their heartfelt sorrow over Snake and the others, helped me see what I had done wrong. I snapped out of my murderous rage then and realized what I had become. Then, I really tried to take my own life. I honestly believed I had no right to live. But once again, my friends stopped me. And after ranting at me for quite a while, they managed to make me realize that it was better that I lived and helped stop this madness, than that I died a pointless death when I could have helped. I decided to return to L2 and follow their advice.  
  
That was the largest mistake I've ever done. Or maybe the wisest decision I've ever made. I'm not quite sure which one just yet. I had decided to lift with a sweeper ship back to L2 for the time being after visiting my kids at Earth. Ignoring the way the heavy security hinted towards the ship being an important one, I sneaked onboard. Soon, I got caught raiding the kitchens, and so I met professor G.  
  
I still don't understand what Mr. I look like a mushroom saw in me back then. By all rights, he should just have thrown me out the airlock and left me to die, but instead he took me in. Maybe it was the fact that I slipped through his security system that did it. But he was interested in me, and soon he realized that he had taken in the perfect candidate to pilot the Deathscythe. Which I christened by the way. He didn't see me fit to be told though. Instead, he just taught me everything he knew and let me learn how to pilot a mobile suit. And eager little student me drank the information like a thirsty hiker in the middle of a desert.  
  
I remember the first time he talked to me in private after I had been found lying on my bed, paralysed by the convulsions.  
  
"You seem to have quite a nasty problem there," he said. "Is it something I should know about?"  
  
I wasn't able to answer without letting go of my tight control over my body, but even then I knew the futile in resisting a Gundam creator. So I released my hold on my convulsions and sat up, curling into the corner with professor G watching me dispassionately.  
  
"The malady," I managed to get out between clattering teeth. "I've had it since I was a kid. Dunno what it is."  
  
Professor G just looked at me.  
  
"Hn." He said. "I believe I will look you over. There's something abnormal about you. Not even the absurd kids today tattoo genetic letter barcodes on their necks."  
  
Somehow, I wasn't surprised he knew of the be damned barcode. Do you know that I used to get stuck frequently in the stores because the alarms picked it up? It even went so far I had to steal something to keep them from looking at my neck. I mean, it's embarrassing for pity's sake to have the alarms shriek at you because of a tattoo. But that was before I got the oh-so-bright idea to carry around a scrambler for those alarms. Now those damn machines doesn't pick up either my barcode or the small items that happens to have found the ways into my pockets.  
  
Anyway, I got that once over, and professor G quickly found out the abnormalities that is me. There is the malady and the barcode of course, but professor G revealed there is much more to the subject. You see, I'm not completely human. Someone has messed around plentiful with my DNA, so that it doesn't even resembles a humans if you're a skilled scientist. All scrap DNA has been just that, scrapped for example, and professor G found proof that animal DNA had been fused to my DNA. Apparently before I was born too, as it has created my very non-human body. Or have you ever heard of a human body with the abilities of the Felidae family? You don't know how embarrassing it is to start meowing, roaring, purring and snarling when you're emotionally upset.  
  
He quickly realized the potential in this, and finally introduced me to Operation Meteor, even if he conveniently left out his future plans for me. He started to train me and made me make use of the abilities I was born to. So if you ever feel ill watching me stretch, blame G. He's the one who made me realize I have no problem scratching the back of my head with my feet.   
  
I don't know if I should hate him or love him for what he has done to me. He trained me to kill, making me a master sniper, a talented hacker, an almost obsessed chemist with an obsession with explosives and a martial arts artist. He told me how to live, how to die. How to withstand torture of any kind, how to use weapons of any kind. And for that I hate him. But he also created the implant in my neck that controls my malady, keeping me from collapsing three times a week as long as I recharge it once a month. And for that, I love him. He was both my saviour and my death.  
  
Oh well, that's the basic story of my life before I met the other Gundam pilots. I will write more some other time, but right now, my vid phone is beeping. Why do people keep on calling me when I'm doing important stuff?   
  
Shit! I just checked the caller ID. It's Relena! What the fuck could she possibly want with me? She has her precious peace now after all, as well as her precious Heero. If he hasn't made his escape yet of course. But considering his injuries, that shouldn't be until at least tomorrow. Sigh, I guess the only way to find out what miss Vice Foreign Minister wants is to answer the call. See ya later, as Solo would've said.  
  
  
Duo 'Shinigami' Maxwell""" 


	2. Default Chapter

Chapter One  
  
  
"""The day I met Heero Yuy and Relena Peacecraft-Darlian was the day I arrived to Earth. I guess you could say it was the day of my doom. For the moment I lay my eyes on the two of them, my destiny was sealed. If I only had met up with Quatre, Trowa or Wufei before those two, everything would've been different. But it didn't happen that way.  
  
I had just found a Gundam I quickly realized was the Wing Gundam on the bottom of the ocean and attached it to my Deathscythe so he would bring it to the surface for me. You wonder how I recognized Wing. Well, I'm no friend of Howard's for nothing. The minute I came to his ship, informing him that I had aborted Mission Meteor in agreement with professor G, he gave me a pleased look and dragged me away to inform me about everything he knew about the Gundams and their pilots. He said I would need it. And I certainly did.  
  
But to jump back to the important stuff, I had just returned to the surface to await Deathscythe and Wing before I brought them both to Howard's ship, and I fully intended to use the difference time to find that damned pilot Heero Yuy who should've been with his Gundam and wasn't. I was rather pissed at the time, as G had told me that I needed to work with Heero and accept him as my leader. A logical order, considering that Heero had been mentally engineered for that stuff. But how did you find a pilot who had dumped his Gundam and gone scampering around the countryside?  
  
I had just given up and returned to the base I had programmed the Gundams to show up by. Heero was to be assigned to blow the thing up, G had assured me, so I had decided to be a nice guy and help him fixing a way of transportation from the likely soon-to-be gone base. Imagine my surprise when I found the damn guy I just had searched all over town for at the base about to kill a blonde girl in a ridiculous dress.  
  
I think you all know what happened after that. And let me tell you, it had never even entered my brain that Heero wouldn't have been given the same information as I had. I guess it should have though. Those professors seem to have made a game of withholding information.  
  
Anyway, that was our first meeting. But it sure wasn't our last. Ironically enough, meeting Mr. Suicidal and Handsome wasn't the most important thing that happened that day, as you and I surely would've thought. The event that should have made the stars burst out in song was I meeting Relena. But then again, thing never happen as they should."""  
  
  
January 1 AC 197  
  
"Dear Diary!  
  
I just bought the cute little pink you with your little frills in the adorable toy shop around the corner after having Pagan drive me there in my pink limo while I was drying my pink nail polish, which match my pink cloths and shoes. I'm actually thinking of coloring my hair pink as well. Wouldn't I just look adorable that way!  
  
That would be what everyone would expect to find in my diary. But this isn't my diary. This is a chronicle. A chronicle telling the life of Relena Peacecraft-Darlian. The sweet, kind and ever-smiling Vice Foreign Minister of the United Earth Nation who's the only damned thing keeping the galaxy together. If I knew this would happen, I never would have gone near the self-destructive pilot Heero Yuy those two years ago, nor would I ever had engaged in politics. But back then, I was naïve, idealistic and unbelievable optimistic. Now I'm drowning in my realized obligations.  
  
I am seventeen years old. I carry the world on my shoulders. People believe in me even though they shouldn't. I made them do it; I made them depend on me. They would do whatever I asked them to, and the sad thing is that I never realized. I was too self-absorbed to understand. The Mariemeia incident was a revelation for me. For the first time, I saw what the people would do for me. I have the power to destroy the world, and I'm scared to death of it. I'm not a strong person, if someone with bad intentions caught me, they would make me use my influence on the people eventually in a terrible way. Like Mariemeia did.   
  
I won't say I'm a genius, or an over average intelligent person in any way, because I'm not. But I am intelligent enough to realize that I need help. Help to survive, help to keep the people alive. And with the help of a mysterious letter with frightening information I received after Libra's destruction, I can get it. Back then, I dismissed it as the foolish, selfish girl I was, putting it away and forgetting about it. Now I have dug it out from the bottom of my disgustingly pastel pink wardrobe and put it to the use its writer intended it. And that's why I'm sitting here in pink themed room, waiting for my vid call to L2 to be transferred. Hm, I wonder if Dorothy would be willing to help me redecorate my manor. I'm suddenly very tired of the pink theme I invested in.   
  
Oh, the light on my vid screen is flashing. Finally! I'll write more later.  
  
  
(V) Relena  
V Peacecraft-Darlian  
  
  
  
  
January 2 AC 197  
  
He hasn't changed much since I last saw him. Still just about 5'9", willowy lean and tanned with that intriguing chestnut hair twined into a braid reaching past his butt, bangs shadowing his violet eyes. He isn't dressed as a priest anymore though, but is wearing simple jeans and a black polo tee, equally black sneakers adorning his feet. But he still has that friendly smile and warm handshake I was introduced to so long ago.  
  
"Hello, Relena!" he grins at me as soon as I open the door.  
  
I smile back, in elation and with honest pleasure at seeing him again.  
  
"Duo," I warmly greet him, ignoring his outstretched hand in favor of giving him a hug. Judging from his expression as I release him, he wasn't expecting that. Yet, he doesn't seem to have had anything against it, because he just grabs my hand and leads me through the house to my private living room. Somehow, I'm not surprised he knows his way around my house.  
  
We sit down at the window bench, looking out at the splendid view, choosing to wait in silence for the tea I requested earlier from Pagan. Somewhere along the line though, I can feel his eyes resting on me, a thoughtful look changing their violet depths to darker cobalt.  
  
"What?" I teasingly say, smoothening my simple, moss green silk shirt. "Do I have something on my face?"  
  
He chuckles silently, shaking his head.  
  
"No," he assures me. "You're fine. I just pondered over how much you have changed. You have come a long way since that innocent, idealistic girl I once knew and pitied."  
  
Well, you can't say he is beating around the bush. Yet, I cannot help but jump a little at his frank statement. He bows his head and shakes it before giving me a puppy dog look.   
  
"I did it again, huh?" he hopelessly smiles. "Shinigami! This whole 'never lie' thing certainly mess things up sometimes."  
  
I shake my head and put a comforting hand on his.  
  
"It's nothing," I tell him. "It's the truth after all. I was all that back then after all. Was that way until recently. Besides, it's better you are told the truth than you are told a lie which will hurt you later."  
  
He nods, a beautiful smile on his lips. Yes, beautiful. Duo Maxwell is a beautiful young man, if you haven't noticed that by now, you have to be blind. In my opinion, he has always been the most human pilot of the five. It's rather ironic he's the only one who's not.  
  
A knock at the door alert me that Pagan has come with the tea and I call out a soft enter. Before I know it, Duo has smoothly and silently slid to his feet and is retrieving the tea from my old confidant, thanking him silently. I smile again, nodding to Pagan that it's ok. Then I walk over to help Duo set it on the table, grabbing the can to pour us a cup each. Soon, we're sitting next to each other in the couch, watching in silence once again. But before Duo breaks it, I reach for the letter I placed on the table earlier, the letter I received from G.  
  
"Read this," I softly request. "I received this a few days after Heero destroyed the Libra. You must have questions as to why you are here when we never were particularly close before. This letter should explain it to you."  
  
Duo gives me a curious look, but takes the letter. While he reads it through, I watch the expressions fluttering over his face, varying from surprise and anger to plain fear. Schooling his face as he finally puts it down, I can't see what he is thinking anymore, there's a guarded look in his eyes now, and I know it's up to me to assure him.  
  
"So you know about me," he carefully says. "What are you going to do about that information?"  
  
I smile bitterly. He's right about doubting me I guess. He doesn't know me. Just as I doesn't know him. But somehow, I believe that will change.  
  
"I'm not planning to use this information against you in any manner," I quietly say. "The only reason I even bring this up is because I have made some realizations these past few days. About the people. About...me..."  
  
He closes his eyes for a second, then nods, choosing to believe me for now. His eyes doesn't change though, they're still guarded against me.  
  
"Go on," he carefully says.  
  
Leaning back into my chair, I close my eyes as to try to speak clearer about what I must tell him.  
  
"I never really understood any of this until recently," I softly begin. "I played my little game, lived for each day and thought I was a demigod at the least. I thought that I had finally gained peace, that war would be forgotten. Mariemeia changed this, she changed everything. She made me realize just how much I've made the people trust and depend on me. I realized what a tool I have become. She intended to use me to gain sovereign power. The sad thing is that she would have succeeded if it weren't for you Gundam pilots. And that scares me...no, that terrifies me. I don't want that kind of power, I never wanted it. So deep was the depth of my naivety."  
  
I pause at that, not knowing how to continue. In the end though, Duo spurs me on.  
  
"And?" he softly says, touching my shoulder in a fleeting but comforting gesture.  
  
Taking a deep breath, I continue, finishing his sentence.  
  
"And I've realize what a danger I am to the world," I weakly say. "I've won the people's heart. I've become their symbol of everything's that good. I'm their savior. Their happiness and well-being rise and fall with me. I don't want that. But it's too late to change now. I have to live up that image now, or our hard won victory will have been for nothing. But I cannot do that alone. I need help."  
  
Silence fall over us again while Duo ponders what I just have told him, me sipping patiently on my tea. In the end, he laughs ruefully, flipping his braid over his shoulder.  
  
"You have grown up, Relena," he darkly comments. "And I guess you finally understand why Heero couldn't kill you now. Your death would be devastating for the people of UEN. But what I cannot understand is, why me? It can't be just because of this letter. All the descriptions in that letter could easily fit in on any of the others. They could protect you as well as I can. Heero could protect you as well as I can."  
  
I mutely shake my head.  
  
"It must be you," I simply say. "And I think you know why."  
  
A tired look enters his intriguing eyes, but he doesn't give up. He catches my eyes and look clearly into them as he speaks again.  
  
"I will do this," he promise. "But if I'm going to do this, I'm going to have to put down some rules. No rules, no Duo the protector of peace. Do you understand?"  
  
I nod as I expected that much. Besides, I know that the Gundam pilots never do a bad job if it can be avoided. I'm prepared to do whatever it takes to keep this world safe. He gives me a serious smile, producing a notepad and a well-bitten pen from somewhere down his waist, starting to scribble the moment he has them out. It makes me curious, but I'm not about to ask him. Our friendship is still new, and I don't want to risk it. Five minutes later, he gives me the notepad.  
  
"These are the conditions," he flippantly says. "Take it or leave it."  
  
I swiftly read it through before signing my name at the bottom. Judging from the text in my hands, he truly is going easy on me. Yet, I can't help but feel as if my life has been taken from my own hands as he signs his own name next to mine and put the notepad and pen away down his pants some way again. But I cannot pretend it doesn't also make me feel safe.  
  
Relaxing now when it's all over, I give him a curious look.  
  
"Where did you learn to write legal contracts?" I ask. "I didn't think that someone with your background would have the opportunity to do that."  
  
He smirks and rises, stretching gracefully. I wince.   
  
"Please don't do that again," I say in a strained voice.  
  
An even more mischievous smirk grace his lips as he manages to arch his back so much he look like a bent parenthesis, all the while looking almost sexually enraptured. Blasted man! He may not have meant to make me queasy from the beginning, but now it's purely intentional. I sigh and absently wonder what I have gotten myself into. 


	3. Default Chapter

Chapter Two - Wufei  
  
"""Meeting the other Gundam pilots - even over the vid screen, was kind of a mental shock for me. I mean, I was informed of their existence, had seen them in pictures provided from professor G and Howard before, but seeing them before you on the screen, talking to you? It felt strange to say the least. I had certain expectations about their personalities and now I had to re-evaluate everything I had based my facts on. My current views of my fellow pilots are not even faintly like my original believes.  
  
Heero Yuy. The handsome teenager with the steely exterior covering the human he held trapped inside. G told me once that Heero is thoroughly trained and very focused on his mission. Hello? Can you say understatement? The guy barely talks, and if I have to hear him say 'omae o korosu' without a reason one time more, I will kill him, no matter how much I like him. Omae o korosu, Heero.   
  
I still don't get why he has a Japanese accent either. He's from L1 after all, not to mention that regular use of Japanese as a language seized centuries ago. The major languages today are English, Russian and Chinese and have been for centuries actually. There's still minorities left speaking other languages though, but most languages are extinct by now. But then again, Heero isn't normal, so why would he speak like a normal person, hm? I have to admit that accent is rather sexy though...  
  
Anyway, the next pilot besides me is number 03. The tall acrobat with the stubborn, brown hair. His name is Trowa Barton. At least now, it is. Before that, he was known as Nanashi, the mysterious mechanic and former mercenary. Yes, you guessed right, he took the place of the original Barton. A very good choice of doctor S if I may say so.  
  
I don't know much about Trowa, as he was an impulse choice for piloting, like I was. The only difference really is that while he was given the opportunity, I had to steal it. But what can you expect from a thief? Hn. Let's go back to the subject. This one, G and Howard considered silent, smart and very observant. Well, he got that one right. Trowa never speaks if he doesn't have anything productive to say, and the only one who can compete with him in staring is Heero. When it comes to his intelligence, I can't say much though. He's not dumb, and that's good enough for me.  
  
Quatre Winner comes next. The seemingly innocent angel who goes nuts when in the zero system and is a pure, strategic genius. The blonde, blue-eyed boy's combat skills may not be as sharpened as those of some of us, but they're still better than your average soldier. I can still remember my first thought as I saw him on the screen. It was: 'a British Arabian'. Don't ask why, but it certainly suits him and his almost obsessive tea drinking.  
  
Last but not least comes Chang Wufei. A former scholar of Chinese descent with the only other long hair in our little group. The man who believes in justice and sees everything in black and white. Or that's how G considered him to be. In reality, it's a little more complicated than that..."""  
  
  
  
  
  
January 4 AC 196  
  
"I'm not going to degrade myself as far as calling this a diary. It isn't really either, so I'm justified in writing this. I would rather look upon it as a way to collect my thoughts and sort them out during the days. It isn't by the recommendations of someone else I do this, but because I need to get some things off my shoulders. And it helps. Nataku!  
  
When the first part of the war was over, I was confused. It seemed like justice never had had a chance to be served, nor that the guilty had gotten their punishment. The black of the world blinded me, so I could not see the white. I had lost my yin to my yang. Or to put it simple enough for even a child to understand: I flipped out.  
  
My, my, Maxwell certainly is contagious. Now that was a sentence I never thought I'd write. Not that it matters anymore. I've learned my lesson; I've learned to see the grey shades of the world. Heero showed me the way during our battle, and Nataku made me understand even as I pushed her detonation button.  
  
I'm sitting in my office now, typing this down. I should be working, but there are too many things I have to ease my heart from. Heero or Trowa would probably ignore this and continue working, but I cannot. For healing can't come if you allow the wounds to fester. And that's what happens if I don't let my feelings out. I internalise, and sooner or later I erupt. Most possibly in a righteous fury. And believe me, a furious Gundam pilot isn't something you want to experience.  
  
But to return to the subject. Just about five minutes ago, I discovered something during my daily scanning of networks. Where I yesterday had found nothing suspicious, I today found information. Information so dire I almost wish I had my Nataku again. But the era of mobile suits are over, and the only thing I wish for is peace. Sadly enough, that will be impossible now.  
  
What I found buried deep down among the archives of the taxes paid during the two last decades, written in a code no one but a Gundam pilot even could hope to comprehend, shocked me beyond words. The impetuous, fifteen year old me would probably already be out the door wielding his sword at the injustice. The seventeen year old me understand the severity of the situation and let the sword rest where it is, leaning against my desk, ready for use.  
  
I have already contacted Lady Une. She would have my ears if I didn't rapport a thing like this to her immediately. Or she would try at least. No doubt, she's taking measures to prevent the event from taking place even now, taking Relena to a safe place. If that stubborn girl allows herself to be taken anywhere. I won't forget how she followed Heero all over the world for a very long time. Sometimes I wonder what she would say if I told her that Heero looks more at Duo than her, even if it is unconsciously. Probably deny it with her usual flare.  
  
I guess there's no need to postpone it anymore now. When I cracked the code, I revealed a plan for the assassination of Relena. That's nothing strange itself, but the fact that it doesn't seem to have an ulterior purpose is. Something doesn't seem right here, it seems too much like something we Gundam pilots would do during the war. And that scares me. Yes, the great judge Wufei is scared. But this would scare anyone. We Gundam pilots were modified, engineered and trained to be superior to everyone else in this galaxy. To think that there's someone else like us out there, bent on causing misery isn't very uplifting.  
  
Well, then I've gotten that out of myself. Maybe I will be able to concentrate on the matter of hand now. Nataku knows I'll need it.   
  
Oh, someone's knocking on my door. Strange, I never heard a sound...  
  
  
O====(================  
Chang Wufei  
  
  
  
  
  
I should have known. Who else would be able to walk up to my office door over a creaking tile floor without making the tiniest noise? Of course it had to be Duo 'Shinigami' Maxwell, Gundam Pilot 02 and the most skilled thief I've ever met. Not that I mean anything bad by thinking it. Quite the opposite. His more...unusual...talents often were very handy during the war operations. Besides, he's a likeable young man. Not to mention a good friend of mine. Maybe even the best.  
  
"Maxwell," I flatly say, even though I'm amused inside. "What are you doing here in the Preventer's Headquarters?"  
  
He grins infuriatingly at me and shrugs before hugging me enthusiastically. Oh well, I guess I should have expected that as well. Nevertheless, I hug him back. It's great to see him again; things have been busy since the incident with Mariemeia. It just seems like we've slid apart due to lack of time. Hn, I think I will take time from now on. Friends are too important to loose.  
  
After a minute or so, we separate and I smile warmly at him, giving up the pretence of reservation. As if there's any use in trying to pretend in front of Duo anyhow. He's excellent at seeing through people's masks and helping them live without them. It's a pity he can't seem to help himself. But then again, what are we, his friends, for if not to help him when he can't help himself?  
  
"It's good to see you, Duo," I admit. "It has been long."  
  
He makes big eyes and mockingly fakes a swoon.  
  
"Damn!" he dramatically says. "Wufei the great avenger admits missing someone. Hell simply must have frozen over. No, my temperature is normal. Pity, being Shinigami sure gets hot..."  
  
I laugh this time, shaking my head at my sarcastic and fun loving friend. He never fails at lightening the moment.  
  
"Well, much has changed," I reply. "Now, how come you are here? Last I heard you were on L2 teaching PE at a university."  
  
Duo shrugs again, a serious expression settling on his face.  
  
"I was," he simply says. "But then I got a call from a certain Vice Foreign Minister who wanted to see me. I arrived just two days ago."  
  
I arch my eyebrow, sitting down in my simple, black leather chair, gesturing for Duo to do the same. He bypasses my other chair for my desk though, grabbing my keyboard and turning my computer screen towards him. He types swiftly for a few seconds, me watching him before I continue to ask him questions.  
  
"What did Relena want to speak with you about?" I mildly curiously ask.  
  
He gives me a rueful smile.  
  
"To help her," he simply says. "I think we have underestimated her, Wufei. The situation with Mariemeia really opened her eyes. She realizes now which position she has put herself in. And she knows what a danger she is to the world."  
  
I am more startled by his admission than I care to admit. Is this the same woman I wrote so degradingly about just a few minutes ago? Maybe I truly am a touch male chauvinistic after all.   
  
"Don't blame yourself," Duo continues though. "Even she admits that she was a tad naïve before."  
  
"A tad?" I snort. "She had a pink limo!"  
  
The man who proclaimed himself to be Shinigami chuckles.  
  
"Hm," he amusedly says, "I see your point. But to answer the question you are too polite to ask, she wants me to be her protector. Not in a strictly bodyguard way though, but more all-encompassing. That's why I'm here."  
  
He gestures towards the screen he has turned towards me again. As I lean forwards to read the information he pulled up, Duo hops down from my desk and picks up a cell from seemingly nowhere. Maybe he took lessons from Heero during the war. I still don't understand where he kept his gun.  
  
"Relena?" he shortly says as the person on the other side picks up. "Good. I'm with Wufei right now. Have you arrived to the address I gave you yet? Ke. Then stay there and don't go out until I come to you. Understood?"  
  
Apparently he got an affirmative, because he ends the call and looks expectantly at me.   
  
"This is the locations of the others?" I ask, having read the information he pulled up for me before.  
  
At his nod, I give him a close look. Maybe Relena isn't the only one I've underestimated.  
  
"How come you have this information?" I suspiciously ask. "And why do you have it?"  
  
Duo simply looks at me.  
  
"Not even twenty minutes ago, Lady Une came practically running into Relena's office at the ministry," he quietly says. "She told us everything about your find, Wufei. And you know as well as I what it means. I immediately had Relena moved to a safe location then came here. This means war, Wufei."  
  
I tiredly take my head into my hands. War. Something I hoped to never experience again. But no such luck I guess.  
  
"We need the others," I tiredly summarize. "And you want me to watch over Relena while you're away."  
  
Duo nods.  
  
"Yes," he confirms. "I've already cleared it with Lady Une if you're willing. I'm not the leader among us pilots, Wufei. I can't make you do anything."  
  
I snort.  
  
"Hn," I simply say. "Go, Duo. I'll look after little miss perfect."  
  
He gives me a radiant smile and chucks a paper at me.  
  
"Good!" he exclaims. "Here's the address. See to she stays there until I'm back. It won't be compromised until I come there."  
  
Then he's gone, leaving me behind wondering if peace truly exists.  
  
  
***  
A young girl with shoulder length hair dyed pink in a half long, short cropped cut stopped in the middle of a street as she saw the number presented on her beeper. Her eyes widened and with two, long steps, she had stepped into an alley and flipped up her cell, dialling a number she never thought she would have to call.  
  
"Brother?" she breathed and leaned back into the wall bonelessly as someone answered on the other side. "What has happened? Do you need any help?"  
  
The other person apparently answered, for the woman chuckled slightly and stepped further into the alley while producing a notepad and a pencil from her stylish handbag.   
  
"Relena?" she suddenly said sharply. "The minister? And she will be assassinated, you say? What do you need us to do? Contact the circles?"  
  
The next minute or so, she was jotting down notes. Then she put the pen and notepad away, starting to walk out of the alley.  
  
"Yes, everyone is fine," she softly said. "Trey just was accepted into one of the assassin's circles. I hear he's doing well. The last time I spoke to him, he said that he had you to thank for everything. Your scheme made us enough money to go through with the plan and have enough funds to finish it. We can never repay you enough."  
  
A soft smile spread over her face as the person at the other side spoke next.  
  
"Yes, I love you too, bro," she whispered. "See you there. Do I need any weapons beside the usual? No. Good. My codename will be Cara."  
  
And with that she flipped the phone shut and stared at it for a second before a sinister smile spread over her face.   
  
"And so the entertainment has begun again," she muttered, patting the small of her back to make sure that her stiletto was still securely taped there. "Our family shall once again battle under the head of our brother. Once again, he has made a master plan." 


	4. Default Chapter

Chapter 03 - Quatre  
  
"""I can still remember how I felt when I saw Wing self-destruct. How angry,   
helpless and utterly sad it made me. Having to abandon our mission I could live   
with, as I hadn't been very fond of it from the beginning. Handing over   
Deathscythe I could learn how to get used to. But I couldn't - and still can't -   
stand to loose a friend to death. Especially Heero, the first friend I gained   
since sneaking onboard the Sweepers ship. He was, is, the person closest to my   
heart. And while he might disagree, I know he considers me one as well. If an   
occasionally annoying friend.  
  
If someone would ask me how I felt in that awful moment Wing lit up, just before   
it blew to bits, I wouldn't know what to say. Then, I still couldn't quite   
comprehend that Heero was going to die. In fact, the only thing I remember in   
clarity that one second before Wing truly blew into bits and after doctor J   
indirectly gave the order is complete calmness and indifference. It scares me   
still. How could I feel like that when a person I loved was about to die?  
  
The moment ended with the blast, and the sudden rush of contradicting feelings   
almost drove me insane. Anger, fear, sorrow, shame, guilt, confusion, hurt. They   
all hit me like a sledgehammer, and let me tell you, I have never been so close   
to ending it as then. I think the only thing keeping me from doing it was the   
realization that something was wrong. Very wrong."""  
  
  
  
January 6 AC 197  
  
The weather is nice this time a year, and it follows the pattern this year   
again. I don't think Rashid and the Maguanacs have been forced to pick up even   
one tourist who failed to read the recommendations about sun oil and covering   
cloths yet this year though. And thank Allah for that. I'm running out of   
guestrooms. My sisters were really worried about me during the Mariemeia   
Incident, and I think they are trying to make sure I'm alive. And while the   
Winner estates are generally large, twenty-nine sisters and their families take   
up quite much place. And even though I love them dearly, I'm seriously thinking   
about relocating. Besides, living in the desert doesn't frame business much.  
  
I miss the others. Some of them more, some of them less. I meet Duo practically   
every week after all as he 'works' for me. If work is the correct word. It is   
more like he offered to look in on things at Winners offices all around the   
world after the first war as he travelled a lot as a salvage worker. Somehow, he   
ended up as my right hand and the most important person in the company besides   
me. My sisters frequently tell me that they can't understand how they managed   
without us.  
  
Ever since our involuntary reunion a couple of weeks ago, I've tried to keep   
check on where the others are. Duo travelled to L2 to check on Hilde and fix a   
slight problem with our office there. Ended up subbing at a school though. I   
think he wanted to stay at L2 for a while and had to find a legitimate reason.  
  
Trowa went back to Catherine of course. Note that I'm writing 'of course' with a   
certain amount of bitterness. During the wars that keep popping up from nowhere,   
he is always sweet and protective when it comes to me; we've even shared a kiss   
or two. Then, I can almost believe that we've got something going on there, and   
I'm starting to fall in love with Mr. Silent. But as soon as the crisis is over,   
he always leaves without even saying goodbye. I'm getting rather tired of his   
mixed signals, and yet I'm so very attracted to him, maybe more. Well, I guess   
that's life.  
  
The Preventers snapped up Wufei rather quickly afterwards this time. I think   
they will benefit from that, and he certainly will benefit from it. Wufei has a   
rather strong sense of what's right and wrong, and often has a hard time to look   
away from the injustices of the world. Working with the Preventers will   
hopefully calm him down some and help him realize that there are shades of grey   
as well as black and white.  
  
And then we have Heero. Mr Mysterious himself who of course managed to slither   
through my spy net as nothing and disappear. I have no idea where he can be,   
just as no one knew where he was after the first war. No one but Duo though for   
some strange reason. Or not so strange maybe. They are friends after all. Heero   
maybe keeps in contact. But all I really know is that Duo knows how to contact   
him if needed.  
  
Oh, excuse me, my cell phone is beeping.  
  
  
==Quatre R. Winner==  
  
  
  
  
As a knock sounds at the door to my study, I know Duo is here. Not because it's   
a secret knock or something, but due to the very simple reason that he is the   
only one who ever knocks on my study door. Which is rather strange when you   
think about it. I mean, since when do Duo Maxwell care about etiquette? But then   
again, when does he ever do things like everyone else do?  
  
"Come in," I call out; shifting in my seat so I easily can rise if Duo is in   
hugging mode.  
  
The door flies open within a second, admitting a stressed looking Duo.  
  
"What has happened to you?" I exclaim, flying out of my seat to worriedly hurry   
over to my friend. "You look like you haven't slept in days!"  
  
He grins tiredly at me, flopping down in a nearby chair. Anxiously scanning him   
for injuries or something to clue me in as to why he looks like he just dug   
himself out of his own grave, I notice several abnormalities. First, his hair is   
not in its normal braid, but hangs in a tangled mess from a high ponytail.   
Second, he is dirtier than a street kid in the colonies, and that's saying a   
lot. I can't even see his skin for all the black grime covering it, and his hair   
looks like its natural colour is black. Third, he is dressed in something that   
I'm hesitant on even calling cloths. And when I put all of these things   
together, there's only one conclusion I can draw.  
  
"Something has come up," I say, unconsciously tensing into a defensive stance.   
"You've been reconnoitring."  
  
Duo chuckles exhaustedly.  
  
"Always the smart one," he quips, then freeze as a tremble flies through his   
body.   
  
He closes his eyes for a second, a movement that proves to me just how out of it   
he is. Duo has always had better endurance than any of us, with maybe the   
exception of Heero, and when he's exhausted, most others would have dropped dead   
already.  
  
"There's someone out there," he suddenly says, pulling his fingers through his   
hopelessly knotted hair while looking at me with an utterly despairing yet   
determined look on his face. "Someone who is as smart as us, thinks as we do,   
operates as we did during the war. And that someone is after Relena."  
  
Shit. This can't be. Not again. I refuse. I won't allow it. Please, not again!   
Allah, it's supposed to be over, we're supposed to live in peace, marry and have   
children! I can't kill again, it's over, it is!  
  
Arms are surrounding me now, holding me tightly, comforting as I stare blankly,   
not able to comprehend what is happening. Then, something rips me from my   
confused mind.   
  
"Quatre!" The voice is harsh, determined. "Snap out of it! We don't have the   
time to panic."  
  
Dragging my confused mind together, I find myself sitting on the floor, upheld   
only by Duo's arms. Vaguely noticing that Duo has dirtied my cloths as well, I   
look into my friend's eyes. Violet and very anxious. Worried even. Then my Space   
Heart kicks in, and I am flooded by worry, stress and fear from Duo.  
  
Gasping, I sit up by my own accord, breathing deeply to regain my composure.  
  
"Better now?" Duo smiles a little, even though his eyes remain grave.  
  
I nod, rising slightly wobbly to my feet. Walking over to my chair, I sit down,   
looking at Duo.  
  
"What do we know?" I silently ask, looking tiredly at Duo even as I feel myself   
sliding into combat mode. "Have you contacted the others?"  
  
Perching himself on the window seat, Duo produces a small palm reader from his   
cloths, flipping it open and doing something on it.  
  
"Wufei was the first one to become aware of the situation," he begins, his voice   
the cool, detached one used by Shinigami. "During a regular network check two   
days ago, he discovered a class Alpha Alpha One encrypted file. He managed to   
crack it, and found that it contained detailed plans for an assassination   
attempt on Relena. At first sight, it would seem like that it was the only thing   
it contained, but both Wufei and I recognized the pattern. It's a very good   
version of the infiltration and take over strategies we used during the war. One   
that was very similarly laid out to those planned after our enhanced abilities   
and resources."  
  
I curse silently at that. Even if the plan had been less sophisticated, the   
encryption technique would be alarming enough. For an Alpha Alpha One encryption   
class is a Heero Yuy encryption, and if Heero Yuy encrypts something, it stays   
encrypted if you aren't a pilot or have the key.  
  
" We will all be needed for this one," I comment without the slightest tremble   
in my voice. Quatre the Gundam pilot is back. And somehow, I fear he's back to   
stay.   
  
Duo nods, then glares at a filthy strand of his hair.  
  
"I'll go clean up a bit," he says and starts to pull his hair from his tail. "My   
shuttle to L1 Z-12583 doesn't leave in a few hours anyway."  
  
I nod, absently reaching for my phone.  
  
"Yes," I say. "We are gathering at safe house Beta V7, correct?"  
  
At Duo's nod, I dial a number.  
  
"Rashid? Good. I will need to depart for Little Vinton in an hour. Will you   
please see to the jet is ready to depart? Thank you. No, that won't be   
necessary, but thank you anyway. Yes, that's correct. Hn. All right. Bye."  
  
Putting down the phone, I notice that Duo's already gone, leaving a trail of   
dirt behind. Making a mental note to alert the cleaning ladies, I walk over to a   
seemingly innocent window at the other side of the room. Looking around quickly   
for eventual onlookers, I then tap a certain nail in the window, then place my   
hand on the second glass quadrant from the upper corner and state my name   
clearly. A loud beep is heard, and then the middle pillar in the room slides   
away to reveal a hidden staircase leading into the ground.  
  
Staring at the hole in the floor for a second, I then sigh and start down it.   
The pillar slides into place behind me with a soft click, leaving me in the   
narrow staircase with only the artificial light of glowing stones to show me the   
way. No electricity is allowed beyond this point, as a safety precaution. For   
what this hidden cellar holds, can destroy the known world.  
  
Reaching the bottom of the stairs, I step out on an empty floor in an empty   
hall. Or at least nearly empty. For in the middle of the hall are a computer   
central and a simple chair. Neatly displayed on the empty space next to the   
screen is an innocent looking headset.  
  
Repressing the impulse to run away and never come back, I loose myself in   
thoughts.  
  
"'For power can be held in the smallest of things and used for the greatest of   
evils,'" a voice quotes behind me, awakening me from my thoughts.   
  
Duo steps up beside me, looking at the items before us.  
  
"I never thought that we might need it again," he softly says, holding his ever-  
present cross in his hand. "But here we are. And soon, hell will no doubt break   
loose again."  
  
I turn my back to the cursed thing, closing my eyes.  
  
" Yes," I mutter so softly I almost cannot hear it myself. "Once again it was   
right. Our future isn't meant to be spent in peace."  
  
I start walking towards the stairs.  
  
"Do what you have to do," I say to him, refusing to look at the thing again.   
"But I cannot risk going near the thing again. I can't control myself.... I..."  
  
Duo interrupts me, sympathy in his voice.  
  
"I know, Quat," he simply says. "And no one will expect you to. You will never   
have to experience the Zero system again. This time, I will have to be the one   
to do it."  
  
And even though I know that his words is illogical, I also know they are true.  
  
  
***  
Duo looked at the headset in front of him, a determined expression on his face.   
He had to do this. When he still had been a trainee for professor G, the man had   
told him that a time would come when he would need the answers buried inside   
him. The scientist had told him about the Zero system, what it could do and what   
the system would do to him. And now it was time to use it. It was time to   
unleash the secrets buried in the mark genetically tattooed into his neck.  
  
It was time to wake Shinigami Final V.2.6.6. 


	5. Default Chapter

Chapter Four - Trowa  
  
"""I once had a home. Or so I'd like to believe at least. In   
reality, I've never had one. The lab where I woke up certainly   
wasn't home, and living on the street didn't exactly inspire any   
homey feelings. Neither did living in an orphanage seem like   
having a home. It was more like a temporary resting place. For   
most of the kids it was at least. For me, it was a place where I   
was doomed to stay until I was legal. As you should know by   
now, it sadly enough didn't end that way. But then again, is   
there even such a thing as a happy ending? I'm seriously   
starting to doubt that's the case.  
  
The reason for my little ramble above is a rather obvious one.   
At least in my opinion. People who don't know me probably   
won't understand a shit though. But to spell it out nice and   
easy for those people who don't know of Duo Maxwell, it's all   
about the rejection from the colonies. The way they   
abandoned us to believe in OZ, instead of the Fanatical Free   
the Colonies Association and their 'terrorize the Earth' plan   
Operation Meteor. I sound bitter about both associations?   
Well no kidding. The FFCA wanted us to take up the   
profession mass murdering. The colonies decided not to give   
a rat's ass about the ones fighting for their freedom. Excuse   
me for not liking any of them very much.  
  
Anyway, when the very official statement came, I wasn't very   
surprised. I mean what can you expect from a group of   
leaders sitting on their asses in fancy mansions while the street   
kids are fighting to survive? The answer is everything. The   
others weren't as cynical as I was though. Those I was in   
contact with at the moment were rather surprised I believe. I'll   
have to give them points for their spirit though. No   
spontaneous decisions to stop fighting or anything.   
Impressive. It took some time for me though to decide on   
continuing to fight. It wasn't my fight from the beginning   
anyway. But what wouldn't you do for your pals?  
  
From that moment and on, I didn't really fight for the colonies.   
I fought for the believes of my fellow pilots. I'll never tell them   
though. They would put me at a mental asylum faster than I   
can say Deathscythe."""  
  
  
  
  
January 7 AC 197  
  
Notes for day thirteen of peace. I never thought that   
peace was essential for living. Now I know it isn't. But it helps   
when it comes to prolonging your life. So I believe I could   
learn to live with it. Saying this doesn't mean I support total   
pacifism though. I'll leave that to Relena Peacecraft and her   
followers. It's just that I've come to the realization that if the   
war had continued, the woman I consider my sister most   
probably would be dead right now. A very disconcerting   
thought. So I believe I can learn to like peace. It is still left to see   
if I can learn how to live with it. Personally, I'll have to say it will   
be a long journey.  
  
It's nice to have a place to call home again. The fact that it's a   
moving one doesn't face me a bit. That's the way I've lived my   
whole life after all, and I find it comforting. Which I keep telling   
Catherine when she worries about that it may not be healthy   
for me to move so much. What I don't tell her is that it also   
satisfies my other requirement when it comes to a home. That   
it doesn't stay in one place very long for security reasons. I   
have a feeling that she would buy us an apartment rather   
soon after that. So I don't mention it. I haven't got the same   
qualms about lying as Duo after all. And thank Heavyarms for   
that.  
  
I work as a lion tamer now, as well as an acrobat. And I don't   
wear the clown dress any more. My new costume is more   
flexible. I've even managed to figure out how to be able to   
hide a gun within it. Heero's spandex shorts during the war   
suddenly seem so much more logical. The material is very   
stretchable. It isn't suitable for anyone with an appearance   
complex though. It shows everything.  
  
I miss Quatre. I don't think I should, but the heart doesn't take   
lessons in logic I've noticed. And my heart yearns for my   
blonde Arab. That to the degree that Catherine keeps asking   
which girl that has caught my notice. I don't think she'd take it   
very well if I told her it is a male and a fellow pilot. In fact, she   
would most likely decide to relocate us to the Mars project to   
get as far away from everyone as possible. I don't think I'll   
allow her to guide me in this matter though.   
  
End of the notes for today.  
  
  
Trowa.  
  
  
  
  
  
I don't look up from my sewing at the knock, as I already   
know it will be Catherine. Instead I calmly continue doing the   
last stitching on my training outfit. Lions are rather playful   
when satiated.  
  
"Enter," I say as I easily drive the needle through the thick   
material. Lions have sharp claws as well.  
  
Catherine softly enters my trailer, looking at me sewing for a   
moment before speaking.  
  
"You've never told me where you learned how to sew," she   
casually comments, looking deceptively nonchalant. When   
Catherine speaks in that manner, she won't stop asking. I   
don't say anything for a moment as I finish up the stitching   
and fold the cloth before putting it away.  
  
"The mercenaries," I silently say, leaving it up to her to catch   
my soft words. "Money didn't come around often."  
  
As you've probably noticed, my word quota for the day has   
increased from five to slightly more. Catherine calls it an   
improvement. I call it an adaptation to the situation. In   
peacetime I don't have to worry about enemy spies.  
  
"Oh." Catherine doesn't like to be reminded about my past.   
She is a devoted follower of Relena Peacecraft's ideology.   
"Well, I came to remind you about the party tonight. Sarah   
looks forwards to seeing you."  
  
As all older sisters, Catherine likes to set me up with girls. This   
Sarah is her latest attempt. My evading manoeuvre is to go to   
the party, listen to the chosen girl's chatter for a minute or two   
and then escape into a corner. Another example of how the   
standard military movements can be adapted to fit your social   
life.  
  
"Aah," I answer Catherine, as I know she expects an answer.   
Now she'll be content and go back to talking about the newly   
decided route for the circus this year. I do enjoy my sister's   
company as long as she acts like a normal person and doesn't   
try on the role of the mother hen. But then again, that's the   
normal behaviour of females.  
  
When we an hour or two later are walking towards the   
apartment where the party are being held, I'm surprised to   
notice the amount of guests arriving. It's not usual for the   
parties Catherine brings me to; it's usually only twenty or so   
persons at those. These have to be at least seventy. My sister   
seems surprised as well.  
  
"Oh God," she mumbles. "I got the impression it was only   
going to be us and a couple of others."  
  
She doesn't seem too bothered though. I'm not sure if I   
should be bothered or not. At one side there's the fact that it   
will be easier to disappear after all. But at the other side is the   
fact that it will be much harder to secure the area. I solve the   
problem by going into infiltration mode. If you cannot have   
the ideal situation, you have to take the second best.  
  
I almost slip out of my tactical mode when the door is opened   
though. It isn't many things that can surprise me when I   
am in infiltration mode, but meeting a fellow pilot at the party   
of one of my sister's friends on a new, obscure colony   
certainly is one. I adapt easily though and greet the person in   
front of me casually with a discreet movement of my fingers,   
thankful that I spent enough time with Duo during the war to   
know that he can speak with his hands. He smiles   
impersonally at me and signs a short 'wait'.  
  
"Hello!" he enthusiastically says out loud. "I'm Shane, Sarah's   
bestest pal in the whole world. You're Cathy, right?"  
  
A perplexed Cathy nods and I smirk inwardly. She doesn't   
recognize Duo. Not very surprising though, as his hair is an   
unnaturally bright red for the evening. Is it my imagination, or   
does he seem slightly out of it?  
  
"Yes," she admits, smiling charmingly at Duo while fiddling   
with her hair. I think she's interested in Duo. The braided baka   
smiles back at her, but before anything can happen, a slender,   
small blonde with pink strands in her hair shows up from   
nowhere and glomps Catherine.   
  
"Cathy!" she gushes while glaring irritatedly at Duo under her   
eyelashes. She definitely knows him. "You came!"  
  
I don't get to hear more as Duo promptly signs for me to   
follow and keep quiet. He leads me through the probably   
illegally crowded apartment to a bedroom with a balcony.   
Walking out on it, he jumps onto the railing and gracefully   
leaps to grab the balcony above and climb onto it like a   
monkey. Pondering his agility, I follow and find myself   
standing next to a smiling Duo who glomps at me much like   
that woman did with Cathy earlier. Letting myself indulge for a   
moment, I hug him too before stepping back and looking   
questioningly at him. Duo shrugs bashfully and grins.  
  
"Stealth equals being a monkey during some missions," he   
says and stretches like a cat, making his joints pop alarmingly. I   
simply nod, recalling some of those missions myself. Then I   
step inside the apartment, sit down in a nondescript chair and   
patiently wait for Duo to explain why he's here.  
  
"A code Alpha Alpha Class One encrypted file containing   
detailed information on an assassination attempt on Relena   
has come into the hands of the Preventers. The strategy is of   
class Alpha as well and uses level three technical   
requirements. There is evidence of external plans as well. We   
are needed again."  
  
So it seems like I will meet Quatre earlier than I thought. I nod   
and look at Duo.  
  
"Which safe house have you stowed Relena in?" I ask, already   
making plans on how to get there as unnoticeable as   
possible.  
  
"Beta V7" Duo answers, digging a thin notebook out of his   
pocket and handing it to me. "All facts are in there, using code   
CR438."  
  
I take the book and casually stuff it down the front of my   
pants. They're made in spandex.  
  
"Heero?" I questioningly ask, knowing that both Wufei and   
Quatre most likely already are involved. Besides, I'm well   
aware that Duo and Heero keeps in contact constantly as   
Heero told me during the Incident. I'm pretty sure they like   
each other. Subconciously or not.  
  
Duo nods, and then gives me a quick smile.  
  
"Have to go now," he says. "I have a shuttle to catch in twenty   
minutes."  
  
Then he disappears. I don't even bother chastising myself for   
not noticing. There's a reason he gets the stealth missions after   
all.  
  
Choosing to return to the party the normal way, I casually   
walk through the apartment and jog down the stairs. My sister   
won't be pleased by the way I will leave and not take her with   
me, so she shouldn't have to deal with me climbing around   
like a monkey on the outside of the building. Besides, once is   
enough. Another time would betray me to an eventual spy.  
  
Slinking through the door, I easily slide between clusters of   
talking party guests and dancing couples on my way to   
Catherine, who I know will be somewhere near the   
refreshments table. She has a sweet tooth, but can't keep it   
satisfied all the time due to our meagre account. Therefore,   
she always takes advantage of the poor fools who have the   
cash. A logical strategy, if a little cliché.  
  
When I find her, she much like expected are standing by the   
kitchenette snacking from a bowl with something disgustingly   
sugary that no doubt will do a serious number on her body.   
But civilians usually don't get extensive lessons on how to eat   
right and keep healthy. And if they did, the diet most likely   
wouldn't be aimed at inhibiting your growth.  
  
Touching her arm lightly for a second, I call on her attention,   
and when she turns towards me, I have already slipped into   
mission mode. Her eyes widen as she sees the expression on   
my face, she certainly seems to remember it.  
  
"Trowa?" she says, her eyes questioning and hesitant as she   
touches my shoulder in obvious worry. "What is it? You seem   
so distant..."  
  
Shaking off a faint feeling of guilt, I look dispassionately at her   
and shrug her gentle touch off.  
  
"Something has come up," I tell her, my voice cold and   
impersonal. My Silencer voice. "I will leave for Earth with the   
first shuttle available."  
  
She launches herself at me then, crying bitter tears which   
flows down her cheeks.  
  
"No Trowa!" she sobs, clutching at me as if I'm her last lifeline.   
"The war is over now, you're safe! You don't have to fight   
anymore. This, whatever it is, has nothing to do with you   
anymore!"  
  
I let her clutch at me for a minute before more or less gently   
loosening her grip on me and taking a step backwards to   
look at her. Tipping her chin up so I can look into her eyes, I   
give her a grave look.  
  
"I have to," I simply say. "If it was anything less than what it is, I   
would have stayed. As it is now, it's highly possible that we   
pilots are the only ones standing between peace and another   
war."  
  
I learned long ago that the easiest way to calm Catherine is to   
speak as much as possible. Right now, I'm using that and   
every other technique I can think of to reassure Catherine and   
get her blessing to go. Not because it's what she needs, but   
because it's the most humane thing to do. And I need to be   
human.  
  
The change within my sister is almost tangible. She straightens   
up and dries her eyes, meeting my gaze with her own, if a bit   
shakily.   
  
"Go, Trowa," she whispers, her eyes blank as she clench her   
fist over her heart. "Go, and come back to me."  
  
Using my best weapon and tool when it comes to Catherine, I   
smile at her. But don't ever think it isn't a true smile. Because it   
is. I may not always act human, but I do love. And with that, I   
turn and walk away, promising myself in my still growing   
heart to return to her.   
  
***  
Watching the tall ex-pilot walk away, the girl known as Sarah   
flips open her cell and dials the number only few know of. At   
the answer on the other side, the young woman smiles grimly   
and gives the man a last look.  
  
"Mission Accomplished," she teasingly says to the other side,   
swaying her limber body to the music. "Do you want me to   
tell the others so they can prepare for his arrival. Hm, yes,   
there were spies attached. Two so far. Yes, I'll tell Cussy to take   
care of it. Bye."  
  
Depositing the cell in a pocket again, the blonde returned to   
her party. It was time to neutralize a certain pilot's sister and   
make sure that she didn't do anything stupid. An all too easy   
mission with her resources.  
  
Singing under her breath, Caramell snatched a bottle of   
alcohole from a nearby table and made her way to Catherine   
Bloom.  
  
And she sang: "...but its seed has been sown and before you   
know it has grown it has spread through your life like a stain,   
and it's power will strangle your love and your joy and its   
hunger consumes for it lives to destroy..." 


	6. Default Chapter

Chapter Five - the Street  
  
"""My whole life has been a controversy. But the most self-contradictory event in my life has to be my capture by OZ and the subsequent time I spent there. Because while it was hell on Earth for me, especially with my 'extra' engineering, it was also the event that gave me my life back. But maybe I should just separate the two events and consider them one and one. For while they are one and the same, they are also somewhat apart when you consider the times when they took place.  
  
It all began when my buddy Deathscythe gave up out in space because of his lack of adaptation to the conditions in space. Naturally OZ had figured out where I was right then too and had me caught. I'm seriously starting to think they have taken lessons from Relena when it comes to find untraceable Gundam pilots. Or Gundams for that matter.  
  
Following the rules for capture in a way that would have made Heero proud, I tried to self-destruct but of course it didn't work. I'm seriously starting believe there's a malfunction in Deathscythe's machinery. Maybe G secretly always wanted the Barton idiots to win the power battle over Earth. Or maybe not considering the way he cursed when he received the orders for Operation Meteor.   
  
It made me realize something though. The Gundams were useless for battle in space. And if I had self-detonated, no one would have known it. But now, when the other pilots learn of this, they will probable realize that something is wrong, as a Gundam can't be taken out by something simple as a few suits, no matter which suits they are. Especially not Deathscythe with its superior speed. And if Deathscythe were captured, then there is something seriously wrong. Lucky them. Unlucky me for having to be caught to alert the others.  
  
Anyway, to make a long story short, I was captured and brought back to base. Well there, I went through the basics. Being dumped in isolation for a couple of days to soften me up and then being questioned. When that didn't change my attitude applicable, they began the work to make it official and execute me. That's when the situation changed.  
  
They were doing the custom 'beat the prisoner' thing when they found the tattoo. It caught their attention and my coming death was postponed as I was dragged away to a science lab to be examined. I'm sorry to say (or maybe not) that I don't remember much about that time. All I know is what I found when I went into their main computer and deleted everything. Not much were written there though as they apparently had thought me interesting enough to neglect write their reports everyday. But what I found was important enough for me to really want it deleted. Irritatingly, it wasn't anything G hadn't already figured out.  
  
Anyway, I was deposited in a cell after a few days when those sadistic bastards decided that they needed me for longer than they could keep me secrets. So they set up for my very official and very fake execution. Then, when everyone but a chosen few thought I was dead, they would continue picking me apart and studying me. I wonder if Heero knows he saved me from becoming a human lab rat? Hm, wouldn't surprise me.  
  
It was the day before my to-be-faked execution Heero came for me. And let me tell you, at that time I felt crappy enough to actually want to die. Those doctors had practically done everything they could think up to figure out what that Shinigami barcode was all about short of shopping off my neck. Even if they practically had done that too. Apparently, the fact that it kept reappearing every time they skinned my neck fascinating. And when you're a prisoner, they don't consider the way that it hurt like hell and made me woozy. Or they wouldn't have twisted my arm so badly when I tried to inject myself with one of their drugs. But that could have been because it was lethal.  
  
I was kept in complete darkness in that cell. Or what they thought of as complete dark. There were cracks in the wall by the door. Well, I had just managed to slouch against the wall, careful not to use my damaged limbs too much. Or touch my neck, which were actually bandaged. Even now, I'm impressed. OZ shows mercy! Or they just take care of their potential goldmines.  
  
Then the door opened, a silhouette outlined in the doorway. A normal human would have been blinded, but poor little genetically engineered me just did my adapting trick and recognized Heero.  
  
"I'm surprised, Heero," I said, gliding up the wall, knowing that someone would finally end my misery. "You really turn up in the most unexpected places. Fine... I'd much rather be killed by you than let my Gundam and myself be used by them. Go ahead and do it."  
  
And believe me, I wanted him to. Too much was at stake here: the Gundams, my genetic secrets, and peace.   
  
"You really intend to shoot, don't you?" I think I said this a little disbelieving. I had at least expected him to say something back before. Or to do it in a more quiet way. I knew for a fact that there were plenty of soldiers placed in the corridors around my cell.  
  
"If that's what you really want," he said, blank faced but checking my status out with his (in his opinion) shielded eyes. In my opinion, the unsurety he was feeling showed through quite clearly. I don't think he expected to find me alive. He made a decision then, thinking that I was functional enough to live. I don't even think it touched hid mind that I might have wanted to die.   
  
"You're right hand works, doesn't it?" was the next thing he said, throwing a weapon at me. He didn't wait for me to answer, but walked up to me in the cell. When he reached me, he did another once over and arched his eyebrow.  
  
"I didn't think you'd still be alive, and if you were, I didn't think you'd be in such a good shape," he commented, slipping a strong arm around my waist to steady me. "I don't see why you are so unsteady. You have no injuries indicating that they could cause that effect."  
  
I rolled my eyes, wincing as my headache made a particularly nasty jab.  
  
"Drugs," I shortly growled. "The only reason I'm still alive is that they are experimenting on me."  
  
Heero nodded, and then we started on our halting way out."""  
  
  
  
  
January 8, AC 197  
  
0108.197 Situation becoming dangerous. The suspects were heard discussing my status at 7pm by 'Grunt's Lake and Bread'. Extracting as soon as possible. Something is going on among the street kids; I'm not sure about what. I have seen them watching me, and they have been heard speaking with an unknown person on a pay phone mentioning my name. Can it be that someone is interested in the Gundam pilots or is it an innocent fascination with a local football hero?  
  
There have been signs of activity among the other pilots as well lately. Even Relena has been acting out of character. The Preventers have also moved her to an undisclosed place. Wufei is stationed with her. He also seems to be the one everything originated from.  
  
Quatre has been visited by Duo, and my tags on Zero indicate the system has been used. The logs have been wiped though. Both of them departed shortly after that. Quatre to safe house Beta V7 and Duo to locations unknown.  
  
Trowa has departed to Beta V7 as well, moving out from colony CL7 X46856. This after visiting a gathering at the apartment belonging to a friend of Catherine. Security cameras the hallway shows him coming out from the above apartment. Conclusion is that someone contacted him. Identity unknown but suspected to be Duo.   
  
A pattern can be sensed here, following Duo. Everything began when he appeared on Earth and has followed in his footsteps since then. If the pattern is followed, Duo will come here at this date. As I gave him my location only for emergencies, I will stay until midnight before moving out.  
  
Destination: safe house Beta V7.  
  
Estimated time of arrival: 10.32am 0109.197  
  
  
/Heero Yuy /  
  
  
  
  
I am sitting by the window on the fourth floor of the house I rented, watching the people on the streets below through the sheer, black curtains, which keep me from being seen by the street kids that have become so interested in my doings and me. For once, I'm happy that Duo so eloquently beat it into my brain during the war that furniture isn't only a waste of space but can be useful as well if you choose the right ones. This little trick lets me have some privacy while letting me be fully aware of my surroundings. It's not acceptable not to be.  
  
A movement by the wall to the house on the opposite side of the street catches the attention of my automatic soldier's mind and I quickly registries that someone is lurking in the shadows there. Judging from the way the figure moves, it's the young boy the other kids call Temper. Apparently, he's my watchdog for the day. He's one of the good ones, one of the kids who actually have a talent for spying. If I had been anyone else, I wouldn't have noticed him. And even now I only caught him because I was looking for him. But I can't help but wonder why anyone cares enough to watch me in any case. The war is over; neither I nor anyone else should be forced into this watchfulness anymore.  
  
I shift in my seat, glancing in the direction of the bed standing in a corner. It's stripped of all sheets and the pillows and covers are neatly folded and placed at the foot of the bed for the next tenant to use. That's what I like with renting pre-furnished houses, you never have to decorate by yourself, and when you only use two rooms out of twenty, it saves a lot of time.  
  
When I throw a new glance out the window, the kid has disappeared. Nothing that really worries me, they seem to do that with regular intervals, but I still scan the surrounding area to see if I didn't miss him. I'm not surprised when I don't find him. Neither does the hand being placed on my shoulder surprise me.  
  
"Hello, Heero. Been waiting for me?"  
  
His voice is teasing with an underlying hint of seriousness. I let out that small smile that seems to have gained a life of its own since the end of the war when Duo is near and turn around. Dressed in jeans and a loose, black tee advertising safe sex he looks like your average teenager. If a very attractive one. Something he isn't of course. Normal that is. The attractive bit is all too true.  
  
"Hn," I answer, rising to look into his ambient violet eyes. I'm taller than him by three inches now, I notice. He hasn't grown much since the last time I saw him. I could probably fit him rather nicely under my chin now if we hug actually. But then again, I'm not surprised. Now when we are off the hormone injections hemming our height, we will pick up in growth very quickly.   
  
Duo sighs and gives me an exasperated look.  
  
"Still not very talkative, huh," he comments. "Well, I guess you wouldn't really be Heero if you were. I've missed you, Mr. Perfect. It has been a while."  
  
I shrug, fighting the feeling inside that says I've missed him as well, missed all of them. I'm a private person, I don't like to show my feelings, and I never have. And so, I will never give in to the urge to hug the life out of him if he doesn't make the first step. He knows me too well though, and shows it as he smirks and step closer, enveloping me in a warm hug, allowing me to do the same thing to him. I'm right about the hugging thing.  
  
"Still too shy to show your feelings, Heero," he sighs, almost a little wistful as he rests his head on my shoulder. "Well, we'll have to work on that."  
  
I smile into his hair and hug him a little tighter before letting him go. Letting myself rebel against my inhibitions slightly, I touch his cheek for a moment, indulging, before seizing to touch him completely. If I missed all my fellow pilots greatly, I missed him tremendously. He is the person most close to me after all, the only one I would even consider sharing the things I've shared with him. Duo is and has been the one closest to my heart since our time spent together in the short time after our abandonment of Operation Meteor.  
  
A soft smile touches his lips at my touch, and when I look into his eyes, I can see his affection for me sparkling back. Then the moment is over, and I gestures for him to following me into the next room at this floor. A room I've spent much time securing.   
  
"Something is going on," I say shortly, as soon as I have closed the door behind us.   
  
Duo nods, confirming my suspicions. Drawing his braid over his shoulder in a nervous gesture I never managed to rid him off during the war, no matter how much we tried, he looks squarely at me, a solemn expression on his face.  
  
"As you without doubts already know, Relena's situation is very precarious," he begins, his eyes never letting go of mine, our minds connecting on another level. "The people's utter belief and trust in her can be and already have been used in tries to gain power. Nine days ago, I received a vid call from Relena, asking for my help. She has realized what situation she has put herself in and wants to make sure that she isn't used for gaining power over the people. Due to some information she deemed classified, she asked me to create a force to protect the people from this."  
  
I nod, pondering the notion of Relena finally growing up. It seems like she finally has given up her desperate and naïve teenage beliefs to see the reality. The fact that she actually are beginning to realize what position she put herself in during her power play and doing something about it promises that she will finally become the woman the world so badly need as its leading star. When Relena battled for the people's heart during the war, she didn't understand what she was doing. Now she do, and now she can become the leader she promised during the war.  
  
"What kind of force?" I curtly ask, already planning ways to make sure things progress as they should. "What limits do we have?"  
  
Duo shakes his head.  
  
"No limits," he answers. "As long as it doesn't hurt the public. We can use any forces we need, but it's preferred if we keep a low profile. The Preventers force is under our command as well, even if we have to be careful on how we utilise it."  
  
That's good. I wonder how Duo managed to get Relena to agree to all that, and how she convinced the other ministers. But of course, it would certainly help that Lady Une has been appointed the Defence Minister now. The council got a really bad scare during the past incident it seems. Besides, Duo can be rather persuiative, I should know.  
  
"Anyway," Duo continues, "I hadn't been with Relena for more than two days when Wufei caught an encrypted file in one of the networks we guarded during the war. An Alpha Alpha Class One encrypted file. When Wufei cracked it, it contained information on an assassination attempt on Relena."  
  
He doesn't need to say what it means. I understand all too well, maybe even better than he. Learning and memorizing information about criminal organizations was included in my training for J, and what Duo just told me doesn't fit the bill of any of them. Which means that the assassination attempt origins from a place not even J could reach.  
  
"Is she secured?" I absently ask, pondering the sudden situation.  
  
"Safe house Beta V7," Duo answers. "The others are with her already. I've been briefing all the others the latest week or so. We need to gather again."  
  
Rising, I grab the bag containing the few personal items I have from its corner and look at Duo, who has followed my movements with some sort of detached interest.  
  
"I suppose you have taken care of our transportation?" I lightly say, already knowing he has, giving him a once over as I do. Is it my imagination, or is his hand trembling slightly?  
  
"Yes," he says and rises, letting go of his braid and flinging it over his shoulder. "I had Quatre send one of his private shuttles. We have to be at the safe house as soon as possible."  
  
I don't mention Zero or the trembling to him. Because for some reason, I know that he won't say anything just yet. Instead I once again suppress the inhibitions I have and hug him again, we both need it desperately right now. Neither of us says anything, but Duo tiredly seems to sink into my embrace. The trembling is even more evident now. 


	7. Default Chapter

Chapter Six - Forgetting to recharge  
  
"""Isn't it just pure luck that I just after being captured went about to so it   
all over again? Personally, I think it was rather ironic. And it did have its   
perks after all. One of the perks wasn't that they managed to find the damn   
barcode and decided to play cut poor little Duo into pieces again. But it isn't   
that I'm going to talk about. Nor is it the fact that my appearance at the base   
triggered a change in Heero, making our relationship take a large leap forwards.   
No, it will all be about my little asphyxiation episode. Or almost at least.  
  
We had been at the base for a couple of days when it happened. I was just being   
returned from my daily trips from the labs and dumped on the floor when two   
strong arms enveloped me and steadied me before I had the chance to fall to the   
ground.  
  
"Keep still, Duo," Heero ordered me as I gained my balance and tried to step   
back. "Pretend to be woozy or something."  
  
I obeyed without question, faking a stumble during another attempt to get loose   
and collapsing against his hard body, allowing myself to be lifted completely   
into his arms. He is gentler than I would've thought.  
  
"Damn!" he swore, speaking just at the right pitch for the security cameras to   
catch it. "He lost consciousness. Wufei, help me carry him over to the bed we   
made of the blankets."  
  
So that what it's all about. They have found a spot invisible from the security   
cameras and need an excuse to get there. I smirk under the cover of my long   
bangs. And I was the lucky winner when it comes to play the victim.  
  
Wufei came over, and they share the burden consisting of me to the bed, as if   
Heero couldn't manage it himself. Laying me down carefully, they finished the   
conversation to explain to the cameras why they are staying where they are,   
'watching over their poor friend who blacked out'. I sit up and roll my eyes.   
Apparently we have dedicated actors in our little click of soldiers. Who   
would've thought?  
  
When they had finished their little drama, Heero crouched by my side and started   
speaking silently in his native language while Wufei moved back into the visible   
area to keep the watchers from being suspicious. Curiously enough, he is still   
well into my personal space though, something he usually avoids like the plague.  
  
"Trowa has been in contact with me," he swiftly said. "He has gained information   
about your new Gundams. The data will be turned over to you tomorrow. We need   
you to initiate some sort of physical contact with Trowa so he will be able to   
turn it over."  
  
I didn't bother asking why, the answer is obvious after all. Neither Wufei nor   
Heero is the rebelling type. I am however, and therefore, this must be my   
mission. I nodded at him and watched him give me a grateful look,  
  
"Don't overdo it," he suddenly said, reaching out to turn my face towards his.   
"We need the Intel, not you beaten up."  
  
That earned him a small smile from me. It isn't often Heero comes out of his   
shell and admit that he cares. And so, I latched on to his hand for a couple of   
seconds and squeezed it before he can let it fall reassuringly before letting   
go. He nodded almost uncomfortably, but I could see the soft look in his eyes,   
and it said all there was to say.  
  
And then came the nice little punching episode with Trowa, as well as Wufei's   
little outburst about loyalty (thankfully a casual listener would have thought   
it was Heero he spoke of). The next couple of hours were spent studying the   
Intel from the picture viewer Trowa had slipped me and discussing our situation   
in the secure area. Then the troubles came.  
  
That bastard Tsubarov cut of the oxygen supply to the prison cells, aiming   
towards killing us Gundam pilots and the scientists. Both Wufei and I discovered   
the problem rather quickly as well as the fact that the cameras had been turned   
off. No complaints there, but there were certainly complaints about dying by   
asphyxiation. I was rather hysteric a while there. But then I found out   
something that most likely had something to do with my genetic makeup. I could   
stay awake longer than your average human without little to none oxygen. Never   
had I been so thankful for that damned barcode. But when it became hard to   
breathe, I gave up and let myself go to sleep. No use wasting the air.  
  
When I woke up again, the air was circulated again and the prison door was   
opened. Soon, both Wufei and I were away.  
  
  
  
  
  
January 9, AC197  
  
Safe house Beta V7 had been created during the war by us to have a place near   
the European capital to hide out at after missions involving undercover work in   
the city. It had been bought and outfitted by one of Winner Inc's numerous   
daughter companies, and had served the needs of all pilots many times. Sadly   
enough, it had been compromised some time before the pilots all left for space   
as the pilot Duo Maxwell had been seen sneaking out of it. Since then, safe   
sources told that spies were waiting for him to come back so the second Gundam   
pilot would be revealed to the world.   
  
I have no intentions of letting that happen though. Already, I have secured the   
house with my Maguanac forces and have had it scanned for bugs and other   
mechanical devices for eavesdropping. The house has been searched from cellar to   
roof for hidden spies as well; we have no use of being compromised once again.   
Too much is at stake here for us to deal with the ravenous media also.   
  
When I arrived to the safe house a couple of days ago, I found that Wufei and   
Relena already had settled in and started with securing the house. Relena even   
had managed to convince her bodyguards against following her here in case of the   
unlikely scenario of one of them being a spy.   
  
I was quite frankly surprised by how much that woman has grown since the last   
time I saw her, just a couple of weeks ago when I first met her a few days ago.   
Before, she was a rather immature but promising girl who had managed to convince   
the world to believe in her and her pacifist ways. Not to mention a promising   
stalker and the bane of Heero's existence. Now, she has grown though. She has   
realized what responsibility that lies on her shoulders and that she has to take   
action to protect herself and - by doing that - the world. She let herself be a   
pawn, but she is schooling herself to be a queen and is taking the   
responsibility of a such as well.  
  
The only thing that quite frankly still surprises me though, is the fact that   
she chose Duo as her confidant. I mean, I love Duo like a brother and trust him   
with my own life, but he isn't the one you would think of when you decide to   
found your own protection organization if you doesn't know him well enough to   
see through his mask. And Relena and Duo wasn't exactly close during the war. It   
was rather so that they were rivals about Heero. A fight that Duo won hands down   
by the way. But then again, maybe she is better judging people than I am.   
  
Trowa arrived as well, just a few days ago. It feels weird to see him again, but   
at the same time, I am exalted to see him. And he seems to feel the same judging   
from the way he actually allowed himself to hug me in public when he arrived.   
Rather tightly too. Or maybe he has changed more than it seems. Perhaps we   
actually have a chance now...  
  
I am sitting in the living room at the moment. Duo and Heero are expected to   
arrive any minute now, and we are all waiting impatiently for them to arrive.   
Both Wufei and Trowa are waiting with me, and Relena is actually pacing by the   
door. I wonder whom she is so impatient to meet - Duo or her long time crush   
Heero?  
  
The door opens, and even though I know who it must be, I tense and grab the gun   
hidden away in the holster concealed by my traditional robe. One of the reasons   
I believe in keeping old traditions by the way. A glance to my left tells me   
that my two co-pilots have reacted the same way, Trowa actually have drawn his   
gun and pointed it towards the door. Still alert, I turn my attention back to   
the door and smile as Duo and Heero step in, smiles on their faces. Well at   
least at Duo's. Heero' s smile is just a minimal lifting of the corners of his   
mouth. But then again, that's a toothy grin when it comes to Heero. And that if   
anything is proof of how much Duo have managed to open him up.  
  
"Hey guys, Relena," Duo greets all, giving his jacket to Heero who sets both his   
and Duo's on a nearby chair. Relena gives him a light smile and steps forwards   
to hug him. Duo hugs her back for a moment, and then lets her go. Hm, maybe   
those to are friends after all.  
  
While this went on, Heero has stayed close to Duo while inconspicuously checking   
the security, even using a bug sweeper casually fished up from Duo's jeans   
pocket.  
  
"No need to do that," I hear Trowa shout to Heero just as I rise and walk over   
to Duo. "I've already checked it twice. And that was after Quatre and Wufei did   
the same."  
  
Heero grunts and slips the mech into Duo's pocket again just before I tap Duo on   
the shoulder, making him turn around.  
  
"Anything new?" I silently ask, knowing that he will have been fishing around   
for information while travelling around to inform the others.  
  
Duo shakes his head and look silently at me.  
  
"Not now," he silently said. "You know as well as I do that the house is   
compromised now that I am here. We need to make plans to how to proceed and then   
get the hell out of here before anything happens."  
  
I nod and walk over to Wufei and Trowa who are checking the windows for suspects   
while Duo turns to Relena and Heero and starts talking to them about something,   
urgency in his voice.  
  
"Guys," I calmly ask as I reach them, immediately getting their attention.   
"Anything out there?"  
  
I don't get any answer but two headshakes, but as I'm in the company of the   
three most silent persons I've ever known, I take that as a no. Duo has already   
disappeared up the stairs with Relena and Heero, and as we follow them up the   
stairs, I find myself to be the companion of a Trowa. He hasn't left my side   
since he returned. Not that I'm complaining.  
  
  
***  
I'm feeling sick. My whole body is shaking so slightly, and I know that I don't   
have much time left before I have an attack. Shit! The mess with Mariemeia and   
then this has prevented me from recharging my implant, and now I'm taking the   
consequences. At one of the most unfortunate times as well. We need to talk   
through the current situation and then move out. There's no time for collapsing   
and riding out the malady. But I guess that it's my own fault. I just hope that   
I will manage to get away before the others get a whiff that something is wrong   
with me.  
  
Gratefully slipping down to kneel on the floor, I close my eyes for a second   
from a dizzy spell and when I open my eyes again, Heero has sunk onto the floor   
beside me. Damn! I hoped that he would choose to sit further away from me. This   
way, he will no doubt see if the convulsions start before I can get away. And   
with his training, there's no way he'll take it for exhaustion.  
  
I jump as a gentle hand settles on my shoulder, turning my head to meet Heero's   
concerned eyes. Apparently he has noticed my trembling already.  
  
"Are you alright?" he quietly ask, too low for the others to hear. "You've been   
trembling since we left my house."  
  
Plastering a very fake smile on my face, I nod and inwardly curse the day I   
managed to sneak into his heart and earn his affection. Only to regret it   
immediately. I wouldn't exchange the closeness I share with Heero for anything   
in the world. He means too much to me.   
  
"Don't even try that," Heero glares as I enforce my smile a bit more to try and   
fool him. "I know you, Duo. Tell me what's going on."  
  
I chuckle nervously and almost hysterically because of my rapidly approaching   
attack. Looking pleadingly at Relena, I stall and is saved when she apparently   
takes pity on me, opening our impromptu little meeting.  
  
"What do we know about the current situation?" she clearly say, looking   
expectantly at me, as if I'm the only one with answers here. I hurry to answer,   
ignoring the way Heero is alternatively glaring at Relena and then me.  
  
"We have several plans for your assassination," I start, my voice rather plain   
and neutral as I'm already locking most of my muscles to throw Heero off track.   
With a little luck, he'll just notice that my trembling has ended and not that   
I've stopped moving below my neck. "All of the plans have been tracked down to   
the same organisation, the Hel Incorporation. Further than that, we haven't been   
able to go due to substantial firewalls."  
  
"How substantial?" Heero ask, crossing his arms as if insulted by our failure in   
hacking the place. Maybe I managed to throw him off my track after all.  
  
I give him a quick look.  
  
"Omega G37," I answer. "Nothing we can't get through if we have the right   
equipment. Which we don't here."   
  
Heero nods, I am willing to bet that he's already planning how to hack the place   
and get the information we need.  
  
But then the thing that couldn't happen happened.  
  
  
TBC 


	8. Default Chapter

**Chapter Seven - Seizures**

****

****

**_"""_**_I can't describe how I felt when I was finally flying away from the hellhole they called the lunar base, free and permitted to go anywhere I wanted. At least technically. In reality it's a lot more harsh. With the colonies hating our guts and more than willing to betray us and everything we stand for, we sure had limited places to go to. And with a gigantic Gundam to hide, even less. Thank lord I met up with Hilde. _

_She had paid dearly for abandoning the OZ directives, but she finally had begun to see beyond the propaganda her officers and leaders fed her. When I met her, she had been kicked out of the army with only the cloths on her body and a ticket to a shuttle to L2, her home colony. Apparently, she was the daughter of a semi rich owner to a salvation company. But even though she is part of the society that created the world I lived in for the first years after my escape, I can't resent her. She is honestly trying to make up for what she did wrong, and with the things I myself has done in the past, who am I to condemn her?_

_We exchanged the ticket for money, and got us onto a transport shuttle headed towards L2. Deathscythe was hidden away in the cargo with me, and Hilde held up the impression of legality by staying in the cabin we received. And yes, it was a single ticket. I was technically a stowaway. But what is new with that? The answer: nothing._

_Settling down at the scrap yard belonging to her family, I started to finish up the last preparations on Deathscythe. The scientists wasn't quite finished with him when I stole him, so I had to finish him myself. Thank lord I probably know more about Deathscythe's design than G himself. Now I just had to install  my extras..._

_I thought about the others a lot during the time I fixed Deathscythe up. On Wufei, who almost died with me in that cell when Tsubarov cut off our oxygen supply. On Trowa, who had infiltrated OZ so deeply he was lady Une's__ favorite__. On Quatre who had disappeared after the failed attack and now had showed up again, apparently crazy and shooting on everything moving. And on Heero, who had turned so much from his usual self during the stay in the cell. Had I finally broken through his shields? Had I finally prevented him from becoming what I had become? I didn't know, but I certainly hoped so. For I had a bad feeling about the future...**"""**_

January 9, AC197 

_///Heero nods, I am willing to bet that he's already planning how to hack the place and get the information we need._

_But then the thing that couldn't happen happened.///_

"Beyond that," I continue, "there have been several sightings of known members of Assassin Circles around the Hel Inc's main office complex, and a source of mine has told me that there are people tagging us already. This aggressor is serious. He has several other plans if one should go wrong, and so far, we haven't been able to find any proof of whom it can be. The leader of…"

My sentence is broken off as a seizure rips through my body, making me have to fight not to reveal the sudden pain I'm in. Damn! This is not good. I have to get out of here soon! If I don't, the seizures will soon be visible; I can't hold them off for very long before they overpower me. I need to get out of here before they realize something is wrong.

Taking a risk, I loosen my muscles enough to move and is nearly taken over by the urge to give in to the malady. But with only thirty seconds or so before I will be a shaking mess, there's no time to steel myself. That first seizure is usually the only warning I ever get after the first day of tremors.

Forcing a smile to my face to hide the grimace that is fighting its way to my face, I look at my friends as if nothing special happened. They are staring at me, no doubt wondering what is going on. You usually don't stop in the middle of a sentence while doing a briefing if something isn't seriously wrong

"Sorry," I say, flicking my braid over my shoulder and trying not to sound like I'm clenching my teeth as tiny seizures start to build up again. "I just remembered something that could be of use for us in this. Wait here, I'll go and get it."

With that, I hop to my feet and stride out of the room as fast as I can without seeming hurried. As soon as I am out of sight though, I run into the elevator leading to the other floors of the five-floor building, hit a random button and then push the red button.

By now, the seizures have started in earnest, and I know it's too late to slide into the petrified state I usually am in while riding out the malady. Picking up the plastic biting thing G got me for these incidents from my pocket, I let myself slide along the wall to huddle in a corner. This isn't going to be pretty. No doubt my whole body will be bruised tomorrow from hitting the walls repeatedly. But oh well, that's what I get for failing to remember to take my medication.

Retreating into the back of my head to ride out the pain and seizures, I absently notice that the elevator starts moving. It doesn't alarm me though; I'm too far-gone to care about such a thing. For while I can remain conscious while riding out the malady, it's almost impossible to think.

The doors slide open and I immediately place the taller form of Heero Yuy as the person causing it. He has a rather peculiar look on his face, I notice. It's all crunched up and worried. Could it really be all about me? I know we're friends and all that, but I didn't think I had managed to get him _that_ far on the way to normal, human behavior. 

Evidently I have though, because he's running to my side, sinking to his knees next to me and hovering anxiously over me. I think he's trying to ask me something, and he seems rather frantic, but I don't hear a thing.

Trying to focus, I look emptily into his beautiful blue eyes. The very same eyes that are actually panicking over me, as I don't answer the questions he asks me. I don't think he knows I cannot. Then he seems to calm as he gently gathers my convulsing body into his arms, holding me tightly against his warm body. I almost wish I were more awake so I could appreciate the moment. Almost. I think he's actually caressing my face as he helps me through my attack.

I don't know how long it is before the malady finally looses its grip on me and my pained muscles relax. All I know is that I'm thankful it did. I'm so recharging the damn implant as soon as I possibly can. This is not something I want to go through at a regular basis again.

Taking a shuddering breath, I begin to gather myself together again, readying myself to face Heero. I'm not sure as to what I should say to him. The smartest thing would probably be to just answer his questions and not agitate him further. And I'm a smart guy. Even though there are people that would try to contradict me. 

I can still feel Heero's fingers stroking my sweaty, flushed face tenderly, tracing my hairline only to caress my cheekbone and slide along my jaw. I know he knows I'm awake, but I don't protest to the intimacy. It feels too nice for me to want it to make it stop. I'm always rather shaky the first few moments after an attack, and it feels good to have someone help me get down again.

"Heero?" I uncertainly say when I finally have gathered myself together enough to speak again; sighing slightly as his fingers slips away when I don't need their touch anymore.

"Is it over now?" His voice is rough, and he hasn't loosened his gentle grip around me the least. I understand him though. It has to have shaken him up badly to find me like that… 

Wiggling around, I face him, searching his slightly pale face for a clue as to what he is thinking. It's closed to me.

"Yes," I admit, not knowing what to expect but sighing once again as his hand comes up to push my dishevelled hair from my face caringly before gripping my chin and making sure I'm looking into his stormy blue eyes. He is upset.

"What is wrong with you?" he intensively ask, tightening his grip on me as his eyes fill with something rather close to desperation. "That isn't anything that can be explained as normal. It isn't a malady I'm aware of, and judging through your knowledge about how to ride it out, you have had this malady for years. Why haven't you said anything?"

I'm not stupid enough to try to make it seem as something less than what it is. If you think Heero is upset now, you don't want to see what he would do if I did that. So, I settle to speak the truth as much as possible. 

"It hasn't been an issue before," I admit. "And G recommended I would tone it down for security reasons. You see, I have an implant that prevents this from happening. The bad thing is that it has to be recharged every other month. And with everything that has happened lately, I never had the time too. That's why I had this attack. If I don't recharge the implant within the next two days, I will have another attack in three days."

When I finish, Heero's eyes are suspiciously blank – he's shielding against me again. But when they change from stormy midnight to swirling coral sea, I know that he is still angry, but more upset. I helplessly look into his eyes, trapped in them, and wait for his reaction to reach the surface. But as it comes, I'm taken completely by surprise.

He goes into mission mode. Or at least that is the closest description I can think of. I don't think Heero would like being described as a 'possessive, demanding mother hen'.

"What do you need to recharge the implant?" he brusquely asks, releasing me to rise and start pace around the elevator. "How do you do it? Do you need medical help or…"

He doesn't get any further as I slide to my feet and step into his way, putting a determined hand on his chest to stop him.

"Heero, stop," I seriously said. "Don't _worry. _I have everything needed for the procedure, and…"

The only warning I get before Heero explodes is a low growl coming from the back of his throat. Curiously enough, the only thing I can think in that moment is how remarkably much he sounds like me when I'm in cattish angry mode. Then he grabs my shoulders so hard that he most likely will leave hand shaped bruises and shakes me as if I were a rag doll.

"Not worry?" he growls, his eyes blazing at me. "I'm not supposed to worry? Damn it, Duo! I find you lying on the floor of a fucking elevator convulsing like you are in extreme pain or dying, only to be told you become like this two times a fucking week if you don't recharge a bloody implant, which you've already forgotten once! And you tell me not to worry!? You are the first person to ever earn my love, respect and trust, and now you expect me not to worry about you like you was worried about me during the war. Who do you think you are?!"

I'm ashamed. I'm more than ashamed, I'm mortified. But for some reason, I, the never silent Shinigami, can't tell that to the person in front of me who desperately needs to hear how wrong I was to say what I did. Instead, I can just stare in bewilderment and utter amazement at the man in front of me. This is the first time he has out right admitted that I mean something to him, and it is because of me making fun of those feelings.

My hand has flown up to cover my mouth, and I'm staring at Heero. I know it. And he is looking at me with his beautiful blue eyes filled with betrayal and hurt. I don't know what to do. My training never prepared me for this, this isn't a situation I've been in before. Rationally, I know that I should apologize, but my mouth refuses to talk. It is as if has been glued shut.

Then Heero gets a defeated look in his eyes and turns to leave. He thinks I don't care. I can't let him think that! And once again without thinking, I'm moving towards him, throwing myself at him. Once again, Heero shows off his remarkable reflexes and catches me in his arms before I run into his back. I cry.

"I'm sorry, I'm sorry," I frantically say into his shirt, clutching it desperately. "I didn't mean to…"""

Heero sighs, effectively ending my rambling, and gives me a short hug before pushing me away gently to look into my eyes.

"We certainly is messed up people," he murmurs, a slight smirk playing on his lips. "I'm sorry Duo. I shouldn't have accused you like that. I know you meant well. It's just that…"

I smirk slightly back at him, pushing another strand of my errant hair out of my face, absently noticing that I didn't get out quite all of the red hair dye from Trowa's.

"I know," I say. "And it's nothing. Neither of us is exactly used to be as close to other people as we are."

Shaking his head, Heero smile. Then he shrugs and relaxes, looking in the direction of the others.

"Are you ready to go back?" he asks, concern evident in his eyes.

I nod.

"Yeah," I say. "Besides, we need to get this over with and move out. As long as we are cleared up?"

"We are," Heero assures me. "Shall we go then, my lord?"

I laugh and grasp his jokingly outstretched hand.

"Certainly, master."

TBC


	9. Default Chapter

I'm sorry this chapter is a week late. My muses struck late last week.  
  
This is for NoMo and Ariel for your wonderful reviews, and my new beta A-chan.  
  
  
Chapter Eight  
  
"""Life at one of the minor colonies in the L2 cluster wasn't the peaceful, calm one I would have expected it to be. It was more... interesting, lacking a better word. Not necessarily a good interesting either. Definitely not with how everything was towards the end.  
  
Now, afterwards, I don't think of the last week or so at the colony. It wasn't exactly one of the greatest times in my life after all. It was then that I began to have serious doubts about our cause, about living generally. Not one of my brightest times, I'm afraid.  
  
I was working on Deathscythe when it all escalated to a highly unpleasant climax. Or 'Deathscythe Hell' if one is supposed to be nitpicky. I'm not. 'Hell' is just an indicator that it's the second reincarnation of my buddy anyway. Deathscythe is Deathscythe, no matter what model.  
  
Anyway. Suddenly, I was alerted by the fact that a mobile suit was closing in on us. It proved to be this idiot in Wing Zero who wanted me to test the thing. Yes, I said 'idiot'. He died after all because of that damn system.  
  
He forced me into space with him, using Hilde and the colony against me. Then, he stuck me into that blasted machine of Heero's and ordered me to hook up to the thing. I did what he told me, not completely unwilling either. Blast my curiosity!  
  
The first thing I noticed after connecting the system to my mind was a strange, swarming feeling, as if thousands of ants were running around in my mind. It itched. It disappeared quickly however; leaving the place to the most bizarre, unsettling thing I had felt in a long while.  
  
I wasn't in control of my mind. It was running haywire, showing me images of lot of different things. Things I couldn't remember. Things about my childhood. Needles, scalpels, blood, pain, and just before I managed to get my control back, a pair of steely, grey eyes staring at me from beneath elegant, silver glasses.  
  
The Zero system didn't let go of me just yet though. It continued to drag me through a nightmare of colours, flashes and faces until it finally settled on one. Myself. My gundam. That is something I will never forget.  
  
I was booted from the gundam directly after that. I've never been so thankful in my life. Even so, I couldn't help but ponder on the whole thing later on. What had the system showed me? What did it mean with it?  
  
I left the colony soon after that."""  
  
  
  
  
I feel unexplainably wrong as I walk by Heero's side back to the others. It's still hard to believe that he knows. He knows of my sickness and hasn't expressed any ill words because of it. It both gladdens and scares me. It gladdens me because it shows how much he has opened up since we met. It scares me because I've never had anyone caring for me like he does. It also scares me because I suspect we passed the line between best friends and something else when I wasn't looking.  
  
Sighing, I discreetly pat my pocket to make sure that the papers I put there earlier in case of this happening are still there. I then turn to Heero. No matter how nice it felt to ease my heart, I don't want my 'condition' to be known by all and everyone.  
  
"Heero?" I tentatively say, reaching over my shoulder to grab my braid. I feel illogically mean by doing this.  
  
"Duo," he says back, a slight smirk resting at the corner of his mouth. Shinigami! Couldn't he have chosen another moment to let his rather peculiar sense of humour out to play?  
  
I scrunch my nose at him before giving him a glare.  
  
"I'm serious Heero," I say, looking as stern as I can without starting to look like a mad cat. "I don't want you to tell the others what you just saw. I..."  
  
I don't get any further as Heero simply puts his hand on my shoulder and looks into my eyes.  
  
"I understand, Duo," he simply says, telling it all with his calm, blue eyes. "I won't."  
  
I nod gratefully and plaster on a great smile. Then, I burst through the door and grin madly at the people inside.  
  
"I'm back!" I dramatically announce, flopping down on the floor next to Quatre. "Missed me?"  
  
The blonde gives me an amused look and shakes his head. Relena just chuckles out loud.  
  
"Sure, Duo," she says, giving me a knowing look. "What did you get for us?"  
  
I fish up my papers and wave them around a bit.  
  
"This." Then, suddenly, I'm once again in serious mode.  
  
  
  
  
Waiting patiently for Heero and Duo to return from wherever they went, I wearily rub the bridge of my nose. It has been long days lately with dividing my time between keeping Relena and the safe house secure and searching for further data on the planned assassination of Relena Peacecraft. The Intel we have - the place, payment and target is disappointingly vague and not nearly enough. The arrival of the others gave me a well-needed respite, but I will no doubt be back in front of a monitor sooner than I want.  
  
Thinking back, I remember the days when I was a scholar. I could spend my days learning and doing meaningful things like teaching children the history of my people. In those days, I knew nothing of violence but that of the meditation and defence kata I learned under the matriarch. At the time, little did I know that less than three years later I would use them to kill.  
  
The door slams open and I'm abruptly brought back to the present by Duo who dramatically throws himself down beside Quatre, a maniac smile on his face. Allowing myself to look faintly amused, I follow Heero's much more restrained return. I note that he has a peculiar look on his face. No doubt something happened that caused another wave of denial to hit them.  
  
Fingering my ornate but deadly knife I always carry with me, I watch as Duo whips up some papers from an inner pocket of his tee. I cover a snort. Only Duo would ever have inner pockets on a tee.  
  
"This is what I went to get," he says, abruptly changing mood from crazy to serious. I've always been fascinated by the way Duo can change between different moods in just a matter of seconds. You never know when he'll go from sad to happy, from moody to furious. He's as unpredictable as anything and while it no doubt is a great advantage as a warrior, it makes him difficult to befriend. That and his constant talking. When he finally lets you in though, you find that you never want him to change. Believe me, I know.  
  
Pulling myself together, I concentrate on what Duo is saying. This is not the time to let my thoughts wander.  
  
"As I said before I left," Duo continued, laying the papers down, "the owner and leader of Hel Inc. is Thor Arvidsen. Everything in that company goes through him. While that doesn't automatically make him our man, he certainly is the main candidate to the contractor. On these papers is written everything known about him. It's not much though. He seemingly appeared from nowhere about ten years ago and created the company, which mainly deals with machinery used in the car industry."  
  
Quatre nods before adding his own thoughts.  
  
"So far, we have found six planned attempts to kill Relena," he says quite calmly while sharing a thoughtful look with Duo. "They are all to take place in different areas. Two contracts have already run out, due to Duo's immediate reaction and Wufei's alertness. Even if we need to confirm the identity of the contractor and take him out, our first priority is to get Relena into a safe house more secure than this one."  
  
A slight movement beside me alerts me that Relena wants to say something, but is hesitant to. Not wanting to unnerve her further by letting her know that I am aware of her fidgeting, I sign a short message to the others. They immediately quiet and pretend to be at loss when it comes to suitable locations. We all know that Relena has a good head on her shoulders, even if I have to admit that I've only come to realize it lately. If she has something to say, it's likely to be good.  
  
"If I may suggest a place," Relena finally begins, hesitantly at first, but more surely as no one interrupts her, "I remember that Quatre owns a certain building in Brussels that stands slightly off in the middle of town. If you could devise a way to secure the two or three lower floors, I could easily be kept safe at one of the higher floors."  
  
Duo gives Relena a broad grin.  
  
"That's a good idea, Relena," he compliments her, making Relena smile at him. I ponder that. Has she transferred her crush from Heero to Duo, or is her smile just for the compliment? For her own sake, I truly hope it is the compliment. Duo wouldn't be as patient with her as Heero was, and he threatened to kill her at least twice a day.  
  
"Yes, Duo's right," Quatre slowly says, frowning as he thinks. "And with my Maguanacs to help, the protection issue will be solved. Also, with a few rocket launchers and our usual arsenal, the building should be able to stand until reinforcements arrive."  
  
Heero nods curtly.  
  
"How fast can you have the safe house prepared?" he asks. "The movements on the streets as well as the data on Hel Inc. says that something will soon happen. We need to be prepared before that."  
  
Quatre thinks about it quickly and then looks enquiringly at Heero.  
  
"I could probably have everything ready in six hours," he says. "The building is mostly used for official events concerning WEI anyway. Will that be enough?"  
  
"It will have to," Heero grimly says, but suddenly freezes. "DOWN!"  
  
At the same time, a shot goes off. I immediately drop to the floor, but even as I fall, I hear an animalistic yowl coming from Duo, sounding like a furious and injured cat. As no other shot comes, I look up just in time to see Duo vault through the window in a move rivalling Trowa's, one arm bleeding profusely from a flesh wound. The strange thing is that he did it all from a lying position.  
  
"What the..." I start, but then silence as I see Trowa's face. Something is wrong. When he speaks, my thoughts are confirmed.  
  
"That was no human sound," he calmly says, looking as if he was commenting on the weather.  
  
I happened to be looking at Relena then, and the panic I see in her eyes at Trowa's words confuse me. What is going on? 


	10. Default Chapter

Chapter Nine  
  
"""You know, I just realized that the events I wrote down in this book all seem   
to be events directly connected to me. To my 'cattish' me to a certain degree.   
Isn't that strange? I'm certainly beginning to think so. You can't find any   
comments on Relena's progress in her mission for peace or details about Quatre's   
attempt to tame the Zero system. When I look back, I realize that I didn't even   
mention my meeting with Trowa when he had amnesia or the reunion with a   
remorseful Quatre. Just my own sudden depression and dust with the Zero system.   
Am I really that self-centric? I don't think so.   
  
My depression was hard for me. I'm trying to forget it, to pretend it didn't   
happen. Sadly enough, I've succeeded too well. Anything beyond the Zero system   
is hazy, and the only thing standing out is the fact that during that time, all   
of us gundam pilots seemed to have had a certain down time. Heero went on   
suicide missions, Trowa was amnesiac and Quatre was drowning himself in guilt.   
Wufei's state of mind I won't even mention. It wasn't a happy time. Therefore, I   
think I'll just pick up where I was. When I left the colony, I had finally   
decided that self-pity and depression wouldn't help win the war. That was   
Shinigami and Deathscythe's job.  
  
When I left the colony and Hilde behind, I only had a vague notion of what I was   
going to do: try to find the other pilots. If that proved to be impossible,   
fight on my own. Therefore, I was quite surprised when Deathscythe woke me up   
during my catnap, alerting me of the presence of several mobile suits nearby,   
including one gundam. A few tap dances on the keyboard later, I found myself in   
the direct area beside a conflict between a bunch of rather outdated mobile   
suits, a white Taurus and a not properly outfitted Sandrock. I'm ashamed to   
admit that the first thought that popped up when I saw that was: 'What the hell   
does Quatre think he's doing?' But then I got a bit distracted as the battle   
closed in on me, and I prepared to fight.  
  
It felt good to be a warrior on the battlefield again. Better than I thought it   
would. I actually felt like I was home, like I had finally returned to what I   
was supposed to do. Finally, I was certain of what I would do, of what I should   
do... Besides, I had missed the others. Or to be truthful: Quatre and Heero. I   
didn't know the others too well at the time.  
  
Deciding to watch until I was needed, I leaned back in my highly uncomfortable   
chair and used the spare time to send feelers in the nearby area for eventual   
wild cards beside me. No matter what others say about my impulsivity and   
hotheadedness, I do like to be prepared. Then, Quatre and Mobile Suit X crashed   
into me.  
  
I pushed the button to remove Deathscyhe's stealth cloak, gleefully connecting   
to Sandrock's audio system. Hearing Quatre sputter and gasp almost made up for   
not being able to see his face. Almost. Hn, I wonder if he saved his visual   
discs?  
  
As you can guess, I spent the next couple of minutes taking care of the mobile   
suits. Only after they were all eliminated, I hooked up to Quatre and the   
unknown person floating around with him. Guess if I was surprised when I saw   
Trowa. Sadly enough, a quick investigation ensured me that he still hadn't   
retained his memories. Still, the fact that he was fighting with us certainly   
promised well.  
  
I had now conquered the first dot on my to-do list. Even though I didn't know it   
at the time, I would soon fix dot two as well."""  
  
  
  
  
  
  
Landing gracefully on the ground, I immediately prepare my muscles for the jump   
onto the low building a few feet away: a connecting building to the safe house,   
a bathhouse actually. I wonder how the sniper managed to get onto the roof   
without being seen by one of the Maguanacs as numerous as ants.  
  
I cling to the wall for a split second after executing my jump before deftly   
climbing the ivy growing all over the wall. The poor thing is being ripped up as   
I climb, but I don't care. My arm is hurting around the place where the bullet   
hit, but I'm just thankful that I kept it from hitting anyone else.  
  
The roof is empty now. I'm not surprised, even as a high tech rifle lies,   
abandoned, where the sniper had been hiding. Focusing my senses, I catch the   
sound of someone taking out a guard at the other side of the building. I'm   
already gone.  
  
The guard will be all right. He's just knocked out. I don't slow down as I pass   
him in a flying leap. Literally hitting the ground while running if in a bit of   
a crouching position, I can see the sniper two hundred yards away. Not enough to   
escape me.  
  
A corner. I reach out to grab a window ledge and swing around the corner. I   
freeze, one foot in the air, prepared to throw myself at the person responsible   
for the shooting.  
  
"Master Daemon." It is the sniper and he is reporting to his contractor. We need   
this information. I cannot harm the sniper at the moment. Even though it doesn't   
seem like he knows it, he's giving me information.  
  
"The mission failed. The target was shielded by one of the surrounding pawns.   
Shall I call in the others?"  
  
My eyes widen. Others? Not now, we can't deal with them all at the moment. If   
more snipers come, it will be an outright battle zone. The horror of the thought   
beats the quiet orders from Shinigami, and my mouth opens with a quiet, mewling   
sound.  
  
"No..."  
  
I hold my breath. How can I be so foolish? The sniper doesn't show any signs of   
knowing my position, though, and continues his conversation.  
  
"I understand. I'll call back the others as well, Master."  
  
Then, steps are heard, signalling that he is leaving. I fight an irrational wish   
to sink to the ground. That was close! I can't let myself indulge though. I need   
to get back to the others and report. Focusing, I take a deep breath and move   
away.   
  
The guard is gone and the Maguanacs seem to be forming a solid wall around   
Quatre. I become one of the shadows, jumping and then stealthily running along   
the flat roof. Ignoring the ivy this time, I make a spectacular dive across the   
space between the houses, through the broken window, ending it with a tactical   
roll to my feet.  
  
Everyone is staring at me.  
  
  
  
  
The moment the shot went off - maybe even a second or two before - my instincts   
kicked in. Throwing myself over Relena, I pressed us against the floor to get   
out of the sniper's shooting range and I shouted a warning to the others. I   
didn't think then, it was just a reaction. I know one thing though. When Duo   
jumped through the window in a spectacular move, it wasn't because of a mindless   
reaction of automatized muscles. It was a reaction to what had passed between us   
less than ten minutes ago.  
  
"Duo!" His name is out of my mouth before I even know it, coming in a sharp,   
almost despairing voice. What is this man doing to me? How could he have managed   
to get past the soldier in me so easily?   
  
I'm on my feet and by the window in two seconds, just in time to see Duo   
disappear on the roof of the other building, a hundred yards away. How did he   
manage to get that far so fast? I'm not even sure I could have made it that   
fast.  
  
Trowa slips up by my side, looking blankly at me for a totally different reason   
than usually. Before, it was out of necessity, now, it is because of utter   
amazement and surprise.  
  
"He's afraid of something," Trowa simply says.   
  
I frown inwardly, habitually seeing that it's doesn't reflect on the outside.   
Oh, the joys of being forbidden the use of facial expressions at a young age.   
It's hard to break out of it now. Half the time I don't even realize that the   
expressions I use inside don' t reflect on the outside. Training can be a true   
bitch sometimes.  
  
"Hn?" I ask, adapting by using my voice to convey my emotions, something that   
irritates vocal persons enormously. This is as far as my training allows me to   
go before rebelling. Before meeting Duo and the others, I wouldn't even have let   
out a 'hn'.   
  
"He told me," Trowa explained, a factual tone in his voice. While others often   
think he's even quieter than me, I know it's not so. He talks when he feels it's   
needed. More often than not, I don't even do that. "An impossibility. The human   
body is incapable of producing such a sound."  
  
"Hn." This time, the grunt is for my sake. Not humanly possible? I remember the   
sound Duo made when he disappeared, of course, but it doesn't tell me anything   
in particular. It seems like J did some errors when it came to my training and   
education after all.  
  
"Heero?" It's Relena this time. She sounds shaky and I casually conclude that   
she is rather shaken up, which is not too surprising under the circumstances.   
"Is Duo going to be all right? I know he's supposed to do these things as my   
bodyguard, but he's my friend as well..."  
  
My respect for Relena goes up another notch at that statement. If she came as   
far as to admit that servants can be more than tools, that they can be close and   
precious friends, she has indeed grown a lot. I'm not too surprised though. Duo   
has a tendency to bring out either the best or the worst in a person. In Relena,   
it's obviously the best.  
  
"He will, Relena," I say as softly as I can manage. "Duo is a gundam pilot. He   
has lived through the streets of LA and two wars. Believe in him. We five are   
the best warriors there is. Duo is one of, if not the most skilled of us in what   
he is doing right now."  
  
Now, it would be just nice if I could bring myself not to worry as much as she   
does.  
  
The sound of feet running on the nearby roof alerts me that someone's   
approaching, but before I get the chance to alert the others, a body flies in   
through the window, executes a perfect roll and ends up standing in the middle   
of the room. Duo.  
  
It's hard not to stare. Just within the past hour, he has surprised me and the   
others with things we never would have thought possible. He has now ended the   
record with returning from a hunt and eliminate mission in seven minutes.  
  
"Report!" I bark, just as Relena throws herself around his neck. My heart and   
mind fight between feeling amused by her actions and feeling nothing in order to   
concentrate on the mission. It ends up being something of the two.   
  
"Caught the sniper two blocks away," Duo replies even as he awkwardly returns   
Relena's hug. "The sniper was reporting to his boss and I deemed it to be more   
important to return with the info than to kill him. So, I came back here."  
  
I nod, remaining silent.  
  
"Did you get a name?" It seems like Wufei judged me to be too slow with the   
questioning. I smirk, this time letting it remain on the inside deliberately.   
Perfect. With all these irregularities showing up in Duo all the time, I want to   
study his reactions closer. In my experience, it's much easier if Duo doesn't   
have his attention pinned on you.  
  
"Yes," Duo states, stepping away from Relena. He is slipping into Shinigami   
mode. Wait, let me rephrase that. He's slipping into Shinigami Stealth mode.   
There's something he doesn't want us to know. "The sniper called him Master   
Daemon."  
  
Quatre starts from his position by Trowa's side. They've been getting closer   
again I believe.  
  
"Daemon?" he exclaims, staring at Duo while scrunching his face in a   
disbelieving manner. "The Guardian Spirit? What kind of name is that on a..."  
  
He stops speaking, shrugging. Even Quatre is slowly becoming one with the   
soldier inside himself again. Before, he would have launched into a tirade, now   
he is silent. I wonder if we will ever manage to release our war personas after   
this.  
  
"What is going on Duo?" It is Trowa who's speaking this time. Finally, the   
question for which I want answers came up. I look unblinkingly at Duo. Something   
within me tells me that this will be important. "I heard you."  
  
Duo stiffens slightly. The reaction is so subtle that I doubt anyone else has   
noticed it. I do, though, and his actions tell me more of how he feels than   
anything else could have.  
  
"I'm sorry to interrupt, but we need to depart. Now."  
  
I am so closely tuned to Duo's every movement that I actually jump as Relena's   
light voice butts in. I find that I actually have to keep a tight leach on   
myself to prevent myself from giving her a death glare.  
  
"It's all right, Relena," Duo assures her, relaxing even as he shares a look   
with her. I can't quite pinpoint the reason for it, but it's not hard to see   
that Relena knows something. "Why is it that we need to leave now?"  
  
She gives us a serious look and I suddenly feel slightly foolish to doubt her.   
No doubt her reason to interrupt is well founded.  
  
"I have a video conference in an hour," she says, giving Quatre a piercing look.   
"You do have a secure connection for such a thing I hope? The only reason I can   
still hide like this is that nowadays it's acceptable to participate by a vid   
link."  
  
Quatre looks slightly indignant at the notion that he might not have what she   
needs, but shoves the feeling away with apparent ease.  
  
"Of course," he smoothly says. "You are completely right Relena. If we are to   
arrive within the time limit, we need to depart immediately."  
  
Duo nods.  
  
"Then it's decided," he says. "Am I correct when I say we have a helicopter   
plate on the roof Quatre?"  
  
The blond nods.  
  
"Yes," he replies. "I'll call my pilots immediately. They will arrive in five   
minutes."  
  
Well, I guess this is it. We are moving out, and I'm not a step closer to   
figuring out Duo's secret. With Relena's current predicament, it will have to   
take a lower priority. For now, I will have to satisfy myself with ensuring that   
he is all right.   
  
Walking over to the braided thief, I briefly touch his shoulder to gain his   
attention.  
  
"Are you all right?" I quietly ask, prying gently into his eyes.   
  
He nods with a subdued smile.  
  
"Yes Heero," he answers. "Just a couple of small cuts from glass and a light   
flesh wound from the bullet. No big deal."  
  
I allow a smile. It is truly getting easier to disobey the instincts trained   
into my personality.  
  
"Good," I say, tapping him teasingly on the forehead before backing off. I'm   
still not comfortable with touching and intimate situations. With Duo's earlier   
mishap and this, I've reached my quota for the day. Duo seems to understand that   
and reaches out to squeeze my hand for a second. Then, we join the others and   
move out. 


	11. Default Chapter

Chapter Ten  
  
"""I can't say I was very surprised when Heero showed up together with Wufei on the   
Peacemillion. It was obvious to any person with a brain between their ears that we   
gundam pilots would need to be together if we were going to succeed. Despite what I   
previously wrote, I know that that wasn't Heero's opinion as he came here. Wonder how I   
know? Well, let's just say that I understand how he thinks. I've been taught to think the   
same way. I wonder if any of the others do?  
  
The reason for which Heero came to the Peacemillion is the strategic advantage he   
gained from it: a crew able to provide what he needed for his gundam lead by a man   
trusted by professor J, back up if that would be needed, all the firepower needed and the   
stealth mode that he could use to get where he wanted. The advantages were multiple. It   
was only logical to come here. That the rest of the pilots were there was just a   
coincidence.  
  
When I met Heero for the first time since Wufei and I fled from the prison we had been   
held in, I felt unexplainably happy about the fact that he was all right, that he hadn't lost   
his spirit. Then, I grew worried as I saw what he had brought: the Zero system in the form   
of Wing Zero. You can certainly trust Heero to choose the most difficult machine there is,   
even if it happens to be the best as well.  
  
I remember questioning him about the reasons of why he was piloting Zero. His revelation   
that he had piloted the other gundam carrying the system shocked me. Heero was   
stronger than I had thought. I couldn't help but wonder what he saw in the system   
though. If I recall the event correctly, I called Heero a being with little humanity. Rather   
ironical don't you think? That ended the talk, or that was what I was thinking at least. In   
reality, Heero was nowhere near finished with me.  
  
Immediately when I arrived at Howard's ship, I snagged an isolated room close to the   
place where Deathscythe stood. Not only to be near my old buddy, but also to minimize   
the probability of someone barging in on me when I do my workout. It's a lot of work to   
keep my abilities hidden and extensive workouts to ease the itch in my muscles are part of   
it. Not to mention catnapping – literally. Cats sleep often and quietly. So do I. I can sleep   
anywhere.  
  
Anyway, it was night and I had just finished one of my workouts, hanging in an awkward   
position from the ceiling when someone knocked on the door. Immediately letting go, I let   
myself fall to the floor in a crouch, not letting out a single sound.  
  
"Come in!" I cheerfully said even as I started to let my hair out for re-braiding. Working out   
doesn't exactly help you to maintain a neat hairdo.  
  
The doors slid open a couple of inches, letting Heero into the room. He watched me in   
silence for a few seconds before speaking, his eyes scanning my rather haphazard looks. I   
think it was the first time he saw me in spandex and a tank top. Not a green tank top   
though and my spandex shorts were much shorter than his.  
  
"Heero!" I greeted, smiling calmly at him. "What did I do to earn the pleasure?"  
  
He didn't answer my question, but nodded towards the mass of hair hanging around me.  
  
"Need help with that?" he quietly asked. I shrugged and silently handed him the brush   
and a rubber band.  
  
"Sure," I said. "Be careful though. I don't need any bald spots."  
  
I know for sure that that was the first time Heero ever smiled for one of my jokes. He   
looked outstanding while smiling, still does, by the way. Walking over to me, he pushed   
me into the chair behind me and went to work. We didn't spoke as he did so, didn't feel   
the need I guess. I know I nearly purred. I love when people brush my hair. Purring   
wouldn't be a good idea though, so I didn't.  
  
When Heero finished a couple of minutes later, I turned to him with an unusually serious   
look on my face. He looked rather surprised at that.  
  
"So? Speak," I said. "I know you didn't come here to help me with my hair."  
  
Heero sat down on my bed and simply looked at me for a minute before opening his   
mouth.  
  
"You have piloted Zero," he simply stated.  
  
"Yes," I replied just as casually.  
  
Heero nodded, as if I had just confirmed his suspicions. Knowing him, I probably had.  
  
"What did it tell you?" he asked, giving me a firm look telling me I had to answer.  
  
"That for now I am my worst enemy," I simply said, not looking away.  
  
Heero nodded and rose, walking towards the door. When he reached it, he paused.  
  
"Someone will need to pilot the system besides me," he said quietly. "You are the best   
candidate. I know you won't do it though. I won't make you. It's obvious that something is   
going on with you Duo. Try to come to terms with it. We need you. I need you."  
  
He opened the door and walked out, closing it behind him. Just before it completely close   
though, Heero said one last thing.  
  
"You have beautiful hair," he simply said. Then, he was gone. I was left wondering how he   
had learned to read me so well."""  
  
  
  
  
January 10, AC197  
  
It's early in the morning, about seven o'clock I judge as I make myself breakfast. Not many   
are awake at this hour on a Sunday, former gundam pilots excluded of course, so it's   
rather quiet. I expect it to be so for hours to go. After all, the loudest in our group, Duo,   
has already been out for an hour or two. Quatre left to take care of some unknown   
business just minutes ago and Wufei is with Heero in the appointed dojo, working out   
before hitting the computers. Relena is still asleep, having been up late because of her   
meeting. I'm thankful for that, as I have been appointed her guard for now. That girl is   
always easier to guard when she's asleep. For when she's awake, she's been known to   
pull the most impressive disappearing acts. While I respect her and consider her a friend, I   
don't want to hunt her throughout the whole building.  
  
I sit down at the low table by the window, looking out at the surrounding area while   
keeping a close look on Relena's bedroom door. It's so peaceful at this time of the   
morning. When I was at the circus, I usually woke up at dawn, just to have some time for   
myself. If I were to describe bliss, it would be to stand barefoot in slightly wet grass,   
watching the sunrise as I practise my acrobatics. Only one thing can rival those moments,   
and that's waking up beside Quatre, a pleasure I've only recently discovered. I'm already   
finding it hard to part from.  
  
My sensitive ears catch the soft sound of feet pattering over the floor in Relena's room and   
I slide to my feet, grabbing the extra cup of coffee I left on the hotplate. Taking place next   
to Relena's door, I silently hand her the cup as she stumbles out of the room, her hair   
messy and her blue eyes tired.  
  
"Thank you, Trowa," she mumbles even as she gulps down the coffee and scrambles over   
to the coffeemaker to find some more. I absently archive away the information that Relena   
isn't a morning person in my brain before following her, staying silent.  
  
It takes five cups of coffee before Relena evidently feels alive again. Placing the cup in the   
sink, she walks into her room. Twenty minutes later, she exits, looking more like the   
woman I know. Smiling at me, she nods.  
  
"So, you are my bodyguard for the day," she cheerfully said, looking through some papers   
she produced from a thick folder. "Duo told me yesterday that he most probably would be   
on the streets today."  
  
I nod, giving her a hint of a smile. She's tense. No doubt she's going to ask something she   
thinks I will not like. Relena clears her throat and gives me an unsure look.  
  
"Trowa," she slowly says, pleading evident on her face even as she is obviously trying to   
hide it. "I have an official event today that I have to attend. A charity auction for war   
orphans. My secretary never had the chance to cancel it. Would it be possible for me to   
attend it, at least for half an hour? It would mean so much for the children…"  
  
I quickly weight the pros and cons in my mind.  
  
"Location?" I curtly ask, trying to recall which buildings in this town I'm familiar with.  
  
"The city hall," Relena nervously answers. "I'm supposed to hold the opening speech at   
noon."  
  
The city hall. I've been there before, escorting Lady Une I believe. It should be safe and   
considering the fact that I'm familiar with the security team there, I should be able to stop   
any possible assassins, especially if I bring some of my tampered with detectors. Duo has   
managed to make them detect even strange weapons like poison darts. Something about   
shapes and ultrasound I believe. He tried to explain it to me once, but I have to admit I   
didn't understand much. Duo's the resident genius when it comes to mechanics and   
technique after all.  
  
"It's acceptable," I tell her. "You have to obey my orders though."  
  
Relena nods, obviously relieved. The event seems to be an important one for her.  
  
"Thank you Trowa" she says, bowing her head. "I appreciate it. I'll be in my room until we   
leave."  
  
I nod and she disappears. It didn't take much of a mind to see that she did that to make it   
easier on me, but I truly appreciate it. This more mature Relena is certainly more   
pleasurable than the clingy one who followed us during the war. Sitting down in a chair, I   
take my cell phone and make a call to the security chief of the city hall. Might as well start   
preparing at once. If this event is pre-planned as Relena says, there will no doubt be an   
assassin there. It will be a challenge to prevent him/her from entering.  
  
  
  
  
"We're in" Heero tensely says from his place next to me and taps a few times on the   
keyboard. "Is the disc holding the virus ready?"  
  
I nod, of course. Looking over Heero's shoulder, I watch him scroll through the database   
at a speed that makes it seem like garbage to me. It's hard to believe that Heero is actually   
reading everything and yet I know he does. A wonder if anything.  
  
Suddenly pausing, Heero nods for me to read what he has pulled up. It's a personal file on   
one of Thor Arvidsen's musclemen. No photo though. Where the actual name should be   
printed only the word Daemon stood. Duo was right. The owner of Hel Inc. has a man on   
us with standing orders to kill.   
  
Scanning the rest of the page for more information on this Daemon person, I come up   
with nothing. It appears like Hel Inc. likes to keep its illegal information nice and   
insignificant. It helps when it comes to us Preventers. Then again, if you have the least of a   
brain, you don't put 'assassination' under work description on a net-based database. And   
yes, that has happened. I arrested the person in question half an hour after finding the file.   
Foolish people exist everywhere.  
  
"Do you know anything else about this 'Daemon' person?" I quietly ask Heero. All of us   
gundam pilots are well aware of Heero's training. So, we also know that he has a   
complete encyclopedia of terrorists' network and assassination circles all over the known   
world. He's actually the creator of the register we have at the Preventers. Duo insisted that   
he made it before he went into hiding. Lady Une has seriously considered giving him a   
medal or something for it. That's how important it has become for us.  
  
Heero shakes his head though, and that surprises me more than anything. If Heero   
doesn't know, then I doubt anyone does. This means that we have less than enough data   
on the man we have to meet to resolve the threat of Hel Inc. I can only hope that Duo will   
be able to get some Intel on the streets. He probably will, considering the success ratio he   
had during the war when it came to intelligence gathering.  
  
A knock on the door alerts me to the fact that Quatre is back from wherever he has been   
today. He and Duo discussed something the day before and when I came to speak with   
Quatre concerning safe connections on his network, Trowa informed me that Quatre had   
gone out to do something unknown. I could only speculate that Duo had asked the petit   
but dangerous blond to do something.  
  
The door opens and the Arab peeks in, smiling as he sees us.   
  
"Good," he says. "I was looking for you. Has Duo reported in yet?"  
  
Heero looks at Quatre and I can already hear the negative 'hn' that will come out of his   
mouth in a second. It's rather amazing how much that man can communicate in just   
guttural sounds. As I think about it, it's even more amazing that we understand him.  
  
"Hn." Heero much expectedly says and Quatre enters the room.  
  
"I'll wait with you then. I need to speak with him."  
  
I give a concealed curious look.   
  
"Need to report if your mission was a success?" I casually ask, reaching behind my head to   
pull out my hair tie. It's so tightly bound that my scalp will be tender for hours to go. Vanity   
certainly has its prices.  
  
Quatre laughs at my poor attempt on finding out what he has been doing today and his   
blue eyes glitter.  
  
"You'll know when I speak to Duo," he teasingly says. "Don't be so nosy, Wufei."  
  
I sputter indignantly at that, completely for fun of course, as I was being nosy. As a scholar,   
I don't like when I find something I don't know and can't find the answer to. It's incredibly   
annoying. Just when I was about to reply, I interrupt myself as Heero's computer pings.   
Duo has connected to Heero's laptop.  
  
We all wait tensely for Duo to appear on the screen after Heero has typed in a few   
commands, all for different reasons. Quatre because he needs to report, Heero because   
he is in grave need of any information Duo might have on 'Daemon' and I because of   
both. What can I say? I thirst for knowledge.  
  
As Duo's face appears on the screen, we all relax slightly at his bright grin. I personally   
think that Mr. Streetrat on the screen could charm a rock if he wanted to. That's one of the   
reasons why he's so dangerous.  
  
"Hi guys!" he says with a smile, giving a slight wave with a slender hand, well suited for the   
profession that kept him alive for most of his life. "Been waiting for my call?"  
  
"Hn," Heero says with a small smile that shocks me slightly. Duo certainly is a miracle   
worker when it comes to humanizing Heero. "Have any information for us?"  
  
Duo nods curtly, serious once more, and I find myself leaning towards the screen, eager to   
hear what he has found out.  
  
"There's a lot of talking going on out here," he quietly says. "Apparently Hel Inc.'s got the   
street people in a bunch. The girl I talked to, Caramel, said that Daemon is a well-known   
person on the streets, well liked as well. He shares what he gets and is generally nice. It   
can't be denied that he is famous among the assassin circles for being ruthlessly effective   
when it comes to his targets. Some people even say that he must have been genetically   
engineered to be as good as he is. The general feeling about this guy is that he's pleasant   
enough if you don't bother him, but you don't want to get on his bad side."  
  
Heero nodded and I felt myself doing the same, another reaction born after meeting Duo.  
  
"Aah," Heero thoughtfully reply. It has been proven over and over again that Duo's   
information and hunches are correct more often that not. No doubt that Heero is already   
thinking up a profile for the assassin in his head based on Duo's description.   
  
Quatre clears his throat and leans into Duo's line of sight, a pleased expression on his face.  
  
"I've got the thing you needed me to retrieve," he silently says, giving Duo a meaningful   
look. "Do you want me to install it on a stationary?"  
  
A weird look flickers over Duo's face for a second, disappearing before I have a chance to   
place it. Giving Quatre a serious look, he shakes his head.  
  
"No," he slowly says. "We will need it, and we won't have access to a computer then.   
Convert the discs to nanochips and place them in the set I mentioned. That way, we'll be   
able to use it whenever it will be needed."  
  
He pauses for a second, and this time I can clearly see the anxiousness on his face as he   
looks at Quatre.  
  
"Do you remember what I told you to do?" he silently says.  
  
Quatre gives him a curt nod.  
  
"Yes."  
  
"Good." Duo hesitates for a moment before looking at Heero with a yearning look on his   
face. "Be careful, all of you."  
  
As his face flickers away, I can't help but feel worried. Something is wrong.   
  
Heero looks up sharply; fixing his eyes on a nearby vid screen that was showing the news.   
As I follow his eyes, I realize what has caught his attention. There has been an   
assassination attempt on Relena. Then, a man in a Preventers' uniform shows up on   
screen, a serious look on his face.  
  
"The assassination attempt was unsuccessful due to the intervention of one of our agents,   
codename Nanashi," he curtly says. "Ms. Peacecraft-Darlian is safe and unharmed. The   
agent in question is currently taking her to a safe house but she will make a statement at   
eight tonight. That will be all."  
  
We turn away from the news and share a look. It has begun.  
  
TBC 


	12. Default Chapter

Chapter Eleven  
  
"""Do you remember when I mentioned my method of keeping my eyes open-preventing   
my abilities from being visible? How these measures kept my friends from   
realizing everything? Well, let's just say that they were times when that wasn't   
enough, when instincts and ingrained reflexes took over. I will tell you now of   
one of those times. Being the highly methodical person I am, I have dubbed this   
incident the 'Hilde Incident'.  
  
It took place some time after we had all reunited on the ship. Everything began   
when I finished the repairs on Deathscythe after Quatre's Zero battle. I floated   
over to Quatre and had a short discussion with him concerning the system when   
Heero appeared to take it. When I looked at him, delved into his eyes, I could   
almost see the determined strength. Heero wouldn't, couldn't allow himself to   
fail. If the Zero system could help him reach that goal, so be it.  
  
Heero's feelings worried me badly. In fact, they worried me so much that I let   
it slip. I cautioned him about the system. Because I knew it, know it. It tells   
you things about yourself that you might not want to believe. Could Heero truly   
live with that for the time needed? The look I shared with him then told me   
everything. He would do everything, could do everything needed to save the   
world, including giving up his own life. At that moment, he gave me strength.  
  
A couple of hours later I was in one of the common rooms for the crew, playing   
chess with Trowa. I like chess. Those strategy games are fun. They suit my   
personality well. Play defensively; build up a couple of walls and surround.   
Then WHAM! Instant victory. Wufei didn't seem to like that strategy though.   
Heero didn't have an opinion at all. He was still stuck in his thoughts. Not   
surprising, I would as well if I hadn't been able to manipulate Trowa into   
playing with me. Then, the alarms went off and we had to split.  
  
The fight went on as usual. Slashed a couple of dolls here and chopped a couple   
of dolls there. However, that was abruptly brought to an end when a distress   
call came from a nearby Hilde. It was obvious that she was between a rock and a   
hard place. A few words with Quatre and I was away. The fun began.  
  
When I reached my shorthaired friend, she was just about to be blasted into   
oblivion. I dove to save her, of course, and so, in my opinion, it was   
forgivable that I didn't notice the strange things about those all too lovely   
suits. Not that it mattered since I noticed it very quickly after seriously   
joining the battle. Those two ugly mobile dolls were much faster than any other   
I had stumbled on. Not to mention that they could take a great deal more hits.   
It took all of my willpower not to slip into superior mode right then and there.   
  
The words that actually broke the camel's back were 'two gundam pilots'. The two   
fucking dolls were programmed with data about gundam pilots. The pieces of the   
puzzle easily slid together then. I could see who was behind the suits. I knew   
how they thought. I knew how to win.  
  
At that moment, I severed the visual link with Hilde and let loose. I wasn't   
about to lose to dolls. I wasn't about to lose. Period. I fought with my   
abilities. I won with my abilities. And it was at that moment I realized just   
how much I had changed and how stupid OZ was for not using my data when they had   
the opportunity to. Their loss."""  
  
  
  
  
I am tired. Not physically, but mentally. So utterly tired. All I want to do is   
shut down my mind and let my body do whatever he pleases. Why should I be able   
to do that, though? The world is conspiring against me at the moment. It's in   
these times I truly hate to be an empath. Everyone's worried, everyone's   
nervous; everyone's feeling too damn much. Do you think I have the time to have   
a mental breakdown? Just a little one? Didn't think so.   
  
Leaning back in my comfortable armchair, I think of the day that has gone by. It   
began well by waking up in Trowa's arms after a pleasant night. Then, a nice   
breakfast with an interesting newspaper before having a chauffeur drive me to   
the mansion to pick up the thing Duo wanted to. It was then everything went   
downhill. I had forgotten about my sisters.  
  
Now, let me tell you, sisters are nice. They're even a gift to have most of the   
times, but not when they are worried about you, especially not in groups of   
twenty-nine. Remind me of never getting close to as many as that at the same   
time ever again. It is hazardous for one's health.  
  
When I finally managed to disappear and get the thing I needed, I found out that   
Heero, the sometimes most irritating bastard and mister paranoia, had himself   
protected the damn thing from being copied. So, I needed to decrypt and hack   
into Heero-encrypted files, which is hard enough at normal times, but apparently   
he had been innovative this time. Since I have a headache, I'm not going to   
elaborate. Let's just say it took me several hours. I'm never letting Heero   
encrypt anything we might need again, at least not without getting the pattern.  
  
Far past midday, when I finally got out of there, I got stuck in traffic. In a   
seven mile tailback to be precise. Now, that isn't pleasant even without having   
information you need to protect with your life on you. Guess how it was for me.   
I'm telling you, you're not even getting close. This afternoon, I came close to   
contracting a permanent condition of paranoia. I was justified.  
  
Of course the day wasn't over when I came back. No, when I had managed to speak   
with Duo, my day was destroyed even further as the news informed me that there   
had been an assassination attempt on Relena, whom Trowa is guarding today. The   
coming hours were spent worrying about the man I love. My nerves were a wreck   
when he arrived back here with Relena, completely unharmed I may add.  
  
Summary: I'm a knotted wreck with a migraine the size of Mount Everest and a   
butt that aches like nothing else. That's what you get for sitting down for most   
of the day I guess. The only good thing about this situation is Trowa massaging   
my back. He's a talented man.  
  
"Do I even want to ask what has made you so tense?" Trowa quietly says in that   
half amused tone of his.  
  
I try to muster the energy to glare at him.  
  
"No!" I mutter as ferociously as I can. "Don't even go there."  
  
The bastard chuckles and attacks another knot in my back, reducing me to a   
puddle of goo. I'm so blessed to be loved by this man. Somehow, I almost feel   
like writing a 'thank you' note to Hel Inc. for bringing us together again. Only   
almost though.  
  
Letting my thoughts drift, I let my eyes survey the room. I notice that's it's   
very tastefully decorated. Wonder who has done it? Maybe I should try and find   
out. Good interior decorators are hard to find. Smiling as I see my formerly   
impeccable white shirt lying on the ground in a wrinkly mess, I realize how much   
I've changed under the influence of my fellow pilots. Duo taught me about life,   
about death. Heero taught me how to lead. Wufei made me appreciate these   
massages. Trowa showed me love.  
  
Reminiscing those happy times, I stare emptily into the air; just to stiffen as   
my eyes notice a small, black object nestled in my shirt. It's blinking.  
  
I have Trowa on the floor behind the sofa I was lying on within a second. Sadly   
enough, I didn't manage to get myself to safety. An explosion rocks the room and   
justifies my fears as heat and light flows towards me. Then everything goes   
black.  
  
  
  
  
I react at the same moment as I hear the explosion. My mind immediately analyzes   
the situation and tells me from approximately where it came. My feet carry me   
there and nothing else exists until I reach the place where the bomb went off,   
which takes about two minutes.  
  
The bomb exploded in the living room outside Relena's quarters, where Quatre and   
Trowa said they would be for the rest of the day. Even from the other side of   
the corridor, I can see that the door has been blasted off its hinges. Sharing a   
worried look with Wufei who arrives from the other side of the house, I run   
towards it, hoping against hope that no one has been hurt, that no one is dead.  
  
The room is a blackened mess. I can immediately see where the explosion   
originated from because of a blackened spot on the floor. Thankfully enough, I   
can see from only the look of the room that the bomb wasn't strong enough to   
kill a human being if it wasn't in extremely close proximity to it. With no body   
lying around the spot in question, I quickly deduce that no one has been killed.  
  
While I was surveying the room, Wufei had apparently already found our friends:   
behind the sofa, of all places. Stalking over, I give a slightly ruffled Trowa a   
grim look.  
  
"What happened?" I ask, glaring at him with what Duo dubbed the 'mission look'.   
Trowa looks back and gestures towards Quatre in his lap.   
  
"I was massaging Quatre when he cried out and threw me over the sofa," he simply   
states, smoothening Quatre's hair. He's unconscious. Or was. The fluttering of   
his eyelashes indicates that the former isn't the case anymore.  
  
"What was it that laid on the floor approximately three feet from the sofa, on   
the floor?" Wufei ask even as he returns with Relena, who had been wise enough   
to stay in her room until someone came.  
  
Trowa's eyes darken at his question, immediately realizing why he's asking it.  
  
"Quatre's shirt," he spits out, even as he helps a groggy Quatre to sit up.   
"Someone must have tagged him during the day."  
  
A shirt. Close enough to kill. Someone tried to kill Quatre. Someone tried to   
kill Relena and Trowa. Quatre, Trowa and Relena have been outside the building   
today. Assassins have targeted all of us. Duo is still out there.  
  
I run.  
  
  
  
  
  
Hitting the number Duo gave me for emergencies on my cell phone as I drive; I   
wait for him to answer with my heart in my mouth, clattering against my teeth.   
Pick up! Pick up! I refuse to even think about the possibility that someone   
might already have killed Duo. It's impossible. I can't believe that. It isn't   
so.   
  
"It's Duo." He picked up! I'm thanking every god I can think of.  
  
"Where are you?" I'm growling. I'm going hysteric. The Perfect Soldier can't get   
hysteric.  
  
"The slum," Duo answers. He sounds confused and a bit worried. I don't think he   
has ever heard me hysteric before. I'm not hysteric. I can't be hysteric. That   
everything seems to be going to hell isn't a reason to be hysteric. My friends   
being nearly killed isn't a reason to be hysteric. I'm hysteric. Dammit!  
  
"Be more precise," I snap. "They are assassins out there. Trowa, Relena and   
Quatre have already been targeted. I'm getting you home."  
  
"Wagner Street-Little Hangman," Duo says, realizing the importance of the whole   
thing. "By the phoney statue."  
  
I nod, even though Duo can't see me. I know the place. Making an abrupt turn, I   
take a corner on two wheels. Scratch that. I know a short cut. Grabbing around a   
bit under my seat, I manage to find a Preventers' siren and fasten it in on the   
roof. I don't have time to be caught for speeding. I'm sure Wufei won't mind.  
  
Nearly ploughing over a little lady, I turn into an alley and get rid of the   
car. Little Hangman won't be accessible by car this time of the day. Besides,   
now that I'm out of the house someone is bound to come after me as well. A car   
with the WEI logo is too recognizable.  
  
Kicking in a door, I take the shortest way through an apartment building and   
come out at Wagner Street. Just two blocks left now, and I'll reach the square   
known as Little Hangman. Naturally, the streets are full with not so nice   
people. The slum is also a good shopping place for everything that might not   
have found its way into the country completely legally.  
  
I shove a beefy man out of my way and round the corner. There it is. Now, where   
is the damn statue? Looking around, I try to spot it. However, just as I do, I   
realize it wasn't needed because in the middle of the street, a wide circle has   
opened around two fighters pummelling each other. The long braid swirling around   
one of them easily tells me who one of them is. Duo. And he is using moves I   
never thought a human being was capable of doing.  
  
TBC 


	13. Default Chapter

Chapter Twelve 

**_"""_**_The last battle. Sounds lyrical, doesn't it? As if it's one of those fairy tale battles where good fights evil and good always triumphs. That last battle wasn't like that. Not at all. We were so unsure on which side we were going to fight that we had a debate about it. The only reason that we chose to fight Zechs was because of that overgrown laser beam in the end. Talk about irony, hn?_

_The battle wasn't the least glamorous. It was hard, mind breaking and soul tearing. Many people died, innocents as well as battered soldiers. Even we gundam pilot experienced losses. There's one loss that I can't make myself grieve though. It's the one of the scientists. For while they were the one who created us, they also played God. They formed us into something we weren't, they used us. The thing that irks me the most though is the way J ordered us to self-destruct and the way G so coldly made me suffer through his scientific research on my engineered body. Some things just can't be forgiven._

_It is that one day that lies foremost in my mind. The screams of the dying. The desperation over the battlefield. The fear of the planet called Earth. So much was at stake that day. So much happened. Death had a busy day. It was a day of horror, yet I cannot bring myself to regret it because it was that day I finally understood humanity. It was that day I realized that peace would never come to stay. The pain of knowledge is worth suffering. I cannot forget. If I do I will forget my soul.**"""**_

The two combatants are standing opposite to each other on the street. Around them, people keep to their business, not giving the fighters a second glance, with the exception of a slender woman with blonde, pink dyed hair in worn jeans and a white tee sporting a rather explicit picture. Her eyes never strayed away from their black clad figures.

The smallest figure, a slender man with a thick braid slithering down his back, bows mockingly before his opponent, violet eyes glowing with sarcasm. The other man glares.

"Failing your master, are you?" the braided man haughtily says, his nose peeking at the heavens disdainfully. "Such foolishness!"

The other man growls and circles around the braided one, a silk rope appearing in a strong hand.

"I have not failed yet," he snaps, making a dodge at the other. "Differently from others, I'm not giving up. I will not fail."

The man with the braid throws out his arms in a sardonic manner, casually striking out in a seemingly impossible kick that throws his adversary clear across the street, he himself not even loosing his balance.

"Oh dear me!" he cries out while giving the other man a sarcastic look. "I'm trembling with fear, please have mercy!"

At the end of his call, the shorthaired man has managed to get to his feet and is quickly closing in on the unarmed man, twirling his rope in intricate figures while moving lethally towards him.

The braided one smirks, crouching slightly and then disappears, leaping into a high flip over his adversary's head. Even as he prepares to land, he twists his body and lands a solid kick at the base of the rope twirling man's neck, causing him to dive onto the ground, headfirst.

Duo looks sadly at the man who has now rolled on his back and is looking at him with empty eyes.

"I'm sorry but I cannot afford to let you live," he says, his hand clenching as if it wants to close around the cross at his neck. Then, a slender stiletto appears in his hand. A flowing slash later, the assassin's blood is tainting the street.

"I'm sorry."

I have to admit that it took me at least ten seconds of staring at Duo and what he had just done before my soldier's mind started to process what I had seen before my very eyes and before my body is able to react. I most likely looked like a fool, frozen in the middle of a step. After those ten seconds though, I once again act in a flurry of movements.

What I have seen hasn't shaken me the least. Nor that it surprised me much. During the years I've known Duo, I've always known there was something odd about him. Not a bad odd or a threatening odd, but simply odd. I never read anything into it, but considered it to be something irrelevant. J most likely knew, and if he knew, I felt justified in not pushing the matter further. Now I realize that J probably _didn't_ know and that it most likely _should_ have been forced to become an issue. But that was then, this is now.

I'm running once again, shoving people away with death glares and body to reach the slender figure of the man who found his way into my heart and mind, oddities and abilities to hell. I'm going to save the man I love, the man I've fallen in love with. Shit.

I breathe heavily as I stand over the corpse, holding the bloody stiletto in my hand. Tears are rolling down my cheeks, burning their way down my throat, but not for the kill, never for the murder. For the friend, for the man I've known in my whole life and that I have now lost to Hel Inc. I scream.

A body runs into mine and two muscular arms come around me, holding me trapped. I'm not afraid. I know those arms. Turning my tear-filled eyes towards him, violet eyes meet blue for seconds and everything changes. Two fingers gently brush the tears away and soft lips meet mine. Then, Heero gathers himself together and looks with regret at me.

"We have to run," he says. 

We do.

I sink onto the ground beside Duo. We have been running without hesitation for twenty minutes. Only now have we reached a safe house, or rather a hideout. There are still plenty of those out there, left but not forgotten after the war. They still come in handy.

A silky braid lies draped over my body. It came to rest there when we sank to the ground in a tangle of limbs, breathless. I am not out of breath anymore though, so I untangle myself from Duo and sit in a more straight-backed posture. It's time to talk.

"Duo?" My voice sounds different than it did this morning. Breathier somehow. Softer. How curious.

He lifts his head and looks at me with hesitant eyes. Slender, tanned fingers reach up to brush away long bangs, which keep falling into his beautiful yet cool eyes.

"You want answers." He says with a sigh, eyes looking down and a hand almost touching me but instead dropping to the floor. "I'll give them to you, but please Heero, don't… don't think ill of me if this comes out weird. I… I have never told anyone of my free will before. It will be hard."

I look at him, unconsciously reaching out to take his slender hands in my callused ones. It's getting easier to touch. To be honest, I'm even beginning to like it even if it still makes me uncomfortable at times. Am I loosing the part of me that is the Perfect Soldier? Am I becoming just another gundam pilot?

Realizing that Duo is waiting for an answer, I catch his eyes and nod softly. I will listen and I will understand. Even if I may not be Perfect anymore, I can still strive to just that.

"I'm not human."

I blink. Okay. I didn't expect that.

"I'm a science project born in a lab somewhere in the L2 cluster."

A science lab. It seems like he and I have more in common than I thought. He was born in a lab, I was raised in one. Somehow I think I'm not reacting as I should.

"I don't remember anything before AC 185. It was then I awakened and escaped onto the streets of L2."

I feel grateful for that. I know from personal experience how living in a lab can be. It's not a very good place to live in. Not as a kid, especially not as a kid posing as a science project.

"You know about the life I lead on the streets. It's in my files after all. There's some things that G left out about my stay with him though."

Yes, I know everything about Duo's life on the streets. Every ugly little detail. I'm still surprised he survived it. He is the only one in our group that grew up without the care of adults. That sets him apart from us. Until I learned about this, I thought it was the major thing that put him apart from us.

"G discovered anomalies within my DNA. It apparently held sequences that cannot be found in a human. It can however be found in a cat."

I can't help but smirk inside. How fitting. As I think about it, it even explains many things I've noticed about our dear Duo. Like the strange sounds he emits from time to time.

"It gives me certain advantages. Increased flexibility, keen senses and reflexes, speed, strength and balance in particular. It also gives me disadvantages, like my sickness."

Understandable. The human body isn't built to merge with a cat's after all. There has to be some disharmony. No DNA likes to be mutated. In fact, it prefers to fix itself up if it does. If what Duo says is true, which most likely is, it must have taken years of research to come this far. I can imagine the fury Duo's creator must have felt when he escaped.

Duo's creator. It feels wrong to think of Duo in such terms. It implies that Duo isn't a human being, isn't an individual. He most definitely is though. His liveliness and spirit is what first caused me to notice him after all. Well, after the bullets at least.

"Heero?"

I start at the sound of his voice and realize that I have been silent for quite a while. Looking at Duo, I realize he seems crestfallen. No doubt he interpreted my silence as something negative.

"Duo," I calmly say, cocking my head slightly. He isn't looking at me. I want him to because I don't think I can do what I need to do if I'm not able to read him.

Steeling myself, I reach out and gently touch his chin, easing it up so his face is bared to me. His violet eyes are afraid. His lips are thinned and tense. I slide a finger over them. Fright isn't a good look on him.

"Duo," I begin again, squaring my shoulders and trapping his eyes with mine. I'm still holding his hand. "You are wrong."

He gives me a confused, slightly angry look. As he opens his mouth to speak, I quiet him.

"No, let me speak," I softly say, my touch gentle. "You were wrong about you not being human. You are Duo. And very much so. You are the life among us gundam pilots Duo. My northern star. You are more human than I am. For while you may not have completely human genes, you have embraced humanity. I cannot do that, I don't know how. Humanity lies in the soul, not the body."

As I stop speaking, I am crouching in front of him, sitting on my haunches with my hands on each side of his head and my eyes two inches from his. I want him to understand. I _need_ him to understand.

As he smiles brightly at me, I know I have succeeded. Elation fills me at that, and I bow to catch his lips for a second with mine. At that moment, it's Perfect. 

Then my cell phone goes off.

A black shape walks by the window of my office. I glare at it, wishing that I could lash out at it, grab it and rip it to pieces. Sadly enough I cannot do that. It would be too complicated with two deaths among my secretaries in one week. A pity indeed.

My hands shake as I once again put down the folder I had my Daemon retrieve for me at the Preventer's Headquarters. He's still alive. I still cannot comprehend it. My beautiful Shinigami Final v. 6.2.2 is still alive and he has turned out better than I would have ever thought. I'm so very proud. Once again he will be mine. He will help me make blood flow and the world suffer.

                  TBC


	14. Default Chapter

Chapter Thirteen 

**_"""_**_It's never over. The bad guy always shoots a last shot, lying in a pool of his own blood. The hero always turns out to have less than trustworthy friends. That was the case this time as well. Only _this_ time, it was a big chunk of crap speeding towards the Earth and threatening to wipe out large amounts of it. Not very good, but typical. And as Heero is our resident suicidal hero, he had to be the one to stop it. Sometimes, I just want to strangle the man. After I've finished recovering from the heart attack I get from worry each time._

_I don't want to describe the feeling I felt as I saw him struggle against the laws of nature and time to save the world, so I won't. I will only say it was intense and not very pleasant. In the beginning, I didn't know Heero. Now I do. He kind of grows on you, you know? Shit, I'm almost crying just by thinking of it. The man is my best friend dammit, and he was racing towards his own death there. I think I have the right to be upset._

_He made it of course, but only after causing a stress related malady to me and a lot of mental and physical pain to the others and me. He did save the world though. _

_Our relationship has changed a lot during the years. We started out as adversaries, continued to allies, friends, best friends and finally, something more than that. It all started that day we won the war. When we met afterwards, when I hugged the life out of Heero and he hugged me back for a second before heeding his 'Perfect Soldier' mind. It was in that moment he gave me the most precious thing to me: the permission and way to find him at any time, anywhere._

_I used that permission one time the coming year, and even though I didn't do it more often, we kept in contact. We grew closer, just as Quatre and me did. I don't really know how I ended up as an unofficial employee of Quatre's, but I like it. Apparently, I had a talent, have one. Quatre's sisters even tend to say they couldn't do it without me. Somehow, I doubt it._

_Then came the second battle…**"""**_

I am still shaky from the confession I did to Heero. It was hard, harder than I thought it would be. To confess something like that to another person is to open one's soul, to let that person decide who you really are.

At first, Heero seemed hesitant. He seemed to be withdrawing from me. My heart sank. Then, he looked at me, and suddenly, I realized that he wasn't judging me. The passionate speech he gave me soothed my soul and the acceptance in his kiss made me want to weep. It was the Perfect Moment.

Of course his cell went off right then. Something always happens to destroy my happiness. It's the Maxwell curse I guess. Yet, I can't keep a small smile from my face. Heero knows and he accepts it! Every little cat humanoid part of me…

"Duo, it's Relena," Heero interrupts me with a gentle look. "She seems worried."

I nod and take the phone. It seems like my life will finally go off its end. I'm not looking forward to it.

"Relena?" I softly say, hearing erratic breathing on the other side. Heero is right, she _is_ upset.

"D-Duo?" Relena replies, her voice shaky and tear-filled. I think she has been crying. "I can't stay here. Quatre is hurt and Trowa got shot and…"

Taking a deep breath, I go in with full force.

"Relena," I sharply interrupt her. "Calm down, take a deep breath. Tell me what is going on. Don't stress. Keep breathing."

She seems to follow my instructions and when she speaks again, she seems a lot calmer. In fact, she is most likely tapping into her politician reserves.

"Are you aware of the two incidents today?" Relena asks, her voice steady. 

Incidents? I give Heero a glare. He hasn't mentioned any incidents. Then again, he didn't have any time to. Or maybe it's me who doesn't remember.

"No, I'm afraid Heero hasn't told me," I say, keeping my voice calm, even as I too am beginning to get worried. Relena's hands are almost audibly shaking.

"Earlier today, on a charity auction, Trowa and I were shot at by a sniper," she silently says. "Just an hour ago, an explosive device attached to Quatre's clothes went off. Wufei told me that if he had been wearing his shirt, he would be dead now. Duo, having me here is bringing everyone into danger! I can't stay here if that means I'm risking people's lives!"

Shit! It has begun, it really has. Our time to prepare has ended. Too soon, too fast! WE aren't ready for this, not yet. Yet it's time to take Relena and go. The result of this is that much depends on Caramel now. I'll have to have faith in her.

"I'm coming Relena," I shortly say, making a quick decision. "Pack two overnight bags for us and prepare to leave. I'll be there in ten minutes."

I end the call and look at Heero. He seems sad and rightfully so. I'm leaving him and the others after all. Then, before my eyes, the soldier face returns to his handsome features. He is prepared, he knows. The battle has begun. And just as it usually does, it has come without any prior warning.

Quatre's accident frightened me. I freely admit it. Due to a tiny explosive device and random hands on the streets I almost lost him to the endless death. I almost lost the love of my life. It's a feeling I refuse to feel again.

Directly after the explosion, my first reaction was to pinpoint the source of it. The second was to find Quatre and reassure myself that he was alive. I'm not blaming myself for that. It is a soldier's reaction and I need to keep it within me, else I will loose myself. The soldier is part of me, has been since the first time I opened my eyes to the world, robbed of my earlier memories. If I were to loose it, I wouldn't be me anymore.

My love wasn't hurt too badly. Just a few gashes and a couple of minutes unconscious. That didn't help ease my worry though. Even now I'm keeping close to him. I even made him strip and searched body and clothes alike for more devices. We didn't find any though, thank God.

At this moment, Quatre and I are sitting in a couch on the seventh floor, going over places he's been to and things he carried with him. We keep radio contact with Wufei, who is warning the Maguanacs and checking everything over for any more explosives. Quatre would have liked to do it himself, of course, but I wouldn't let him. No matter what he says, you can't come out of an explosion unharmed. Not even Heero can do that and it's saying a lot.

I look up as one of Quatre's men enters the room. A slender blonde in a grey business suit is following him. Her pretty face is adorned by wire glasses and I can see that she has traces of pink dye in her hair.

Automatically scanning the woman for anything threatening I barely notices Quatre rise and step forward. The dark-skinned man clears his throat and looks rigidly at my lover.

"Master Quatre," he formally says, making a curt bow. "May I present you Ms. Caramel."

I frown inwardly at the strange name. Caramel? Quatre also seems surprised, but he covers it well.

"Good evening to you Ms. Caramel," he politely says, inclining his head. I can see that he too, is conducting a scan of her form. "I am Quatre Raberba Winner. How can I help you?"

The woman known as Caramel steps forward to shake Quatre's hand with a smile.

"Good evening to you as well, Mr. Winner," she says, shaking his hand before stepping back. "As to why I'm here, I have been charged to give you this folder."

Caramel holds out a plain brown folder, waiting patiently while Quatre gives his servant a questioning look.

"Both master Wufei and Rashid have looked it over," he answered the unasked question. "No anomalies have been found."

Quatre nods and takes the folder.

"I'm sorry about that Ms. Caramel," he politely says. "But we have had some breeches of security during the last few days. I hope you will excuse my caution."

Caramel smiles, gracefully accepting the apology. Quatre walks over to me with the folder and then takes out the papers, letting us both read the text. It's a schedule over all changes of the guards, their patrol times and the whereabouts of all people in the building.

Finishing the text quickly, I give Quatre a look that he returns fully. If what the papers say is correct, it means that everything may be over by tomorrow night. But I… _we_ can't let ourselves have that hope. We don't know this Caramel. For all we know, she may be a Hel Inc. agent.

Silently conveying my feelings to Quatre through his space heart combined with the sign language we used during the war, I remain alert. My blond significant other nods. He understood my message.

Turning and walking over to Caramel once again, he gives her an apologetic smile.

"I'm sorry, but can you in any way confirm what you have given us?" he carefully says, his shoulders tense once again.

Caramel nods and her eyes twinkle mischievously as she opens her mouth to answer.

"As a friend said," she comments deviously nonchalant. "'When it rains outside it pours on Shinigami'."

I relax somewhat. That strange sounding sentence is one of the code lines Duo taught us. She is one of his mysterious contacts. Quatre nods.

"You're one of Duo's contacts then." He summarizes, putting down the folder on a table while unconsciously slipping into combat mode. "Are you positive this data isn't faulty?"

Caramel shrugs, elegantly replacing a loose strand of hair.

"Yes, Duo gave it to me less than an hour ago," she says. "Of course I will accompany you under your command to ensure my loyalty."

"Thank you then," Quatre graciously says. "Do you have a place to stay tonight?"

The blonde inclines her head.

"Yes," she says. "With your permission, I should be going. There are some things that need to be done before tomorrow."

The pilot of Sandrock gives her a curt look.

"I'll be seeing you tomorrow then."

I gingerly squint down at the small device I am carrying in a pair of pincers. It was found attached to a formal jacket belonging to Quatre, lying at the back of his limo. The Maguanac that found it scanned it and confirmed that it was the same thing as the one Quatre carried. I, of course, have the honour of transferring it to the titanium box intended for that particular purpose. Personally, I'm not very grateful. Especially since I'm not the expert in explosives in our little group. That would be Duo. But what do you do when the expert can't be called in? Call in the best available.

A shrill sound coming from my cell phone startles me, and I almost drop my burden. Giving the device a cautious look, I grab the cell, flipping it open.

"Not now," I snarl into it and promptly throw it at the nearby Rashid. I then continue on my way with a steady grip on the pair of pincers. Carefully depositing the device in the box, I slam the box shut. A nanosecond later, a boom is heard as the device goes off.

I give a shaky smile, pushing a moist strand of black hair from my face.

"Nataku!" I whisper under my breath before hardening myself and turning to Rashid. "Who is it?"

The man gives an apologetic smile and hands the cell to me.

"Master Quatre," he swiftly replies. I suppress the urge to sigh again. If Quatre called me at the Maguanac bomb squad, something has no doubt happened, again. The perks of being a gundam pilot, you're always on the march.

"Yes Quatre?" I say, leaning rigidly against the wall, my back producing knots with the speed of Deathscythe.

"An agent of Duo's showed up," our resident billionaire says. "We have enough data to end this. We need you here."

Then, he ends the call and I am on the move. Finally!

TBC


	15. Default Chapter

Chapter Fourteen 

**_"""_**_I remember being hailed by Quatre at Christmas that year. He looked so radiating as he spoke of his plan on the vid screen, excited that we finally would be able to bury our past and walk on into our new lives. It was so very easy to get caught up in his optimism, especially when he told me that Heero and Trowa had already agreed and sent their gundams. I can't blame him for the mistake we did though; after living and working with him daily for the better parts of two years, I knew how to argue with him and how to win an argument. If I had seen anything wrong in his proposal, I would have told him and made him see it. Obviously I didn't._

_It was only natural for it to be Quatre and me to prepare the gundams for what we believed to be their last voyage.  We planned the flight together, finding the most conspicuous way for the disposal block to travel on the way to the sun and bring the gundams onboard. By habit we created a way to cut off the gundams if needed before they were lost forever. Now afterwards, I'm glad for that backdoor. The Earth would have never survived the Mariemeia Incident._

_After this little history, I went to spend some time with Heero, who was nearby after bringing his gundam. We had a pleasant time celebrating Christmas, until Heero learned that little miss workaholic had gotten herself kidnapped. Then, our Christmas was destroyed.  Then, I realized that the world needed the gundams and their pilots again. Then, I realized that war would never end."""_

January 11, AC 197  -- 04.00am 

Caramel carefully slipped into the abandoned warehouse, keeping to the shadows and never relaxing a second. Living over half her life on the streets had taught her that shadows could move and get their own life if you didn't watch them. You didn't survive on the streets without a bad case of paranoia, that was the simple truth. Even if your gang leader's name was Shinigami and was smarter than anyone of his age, streetrat or not, should be. She had learned, and she still lived by that particular rule.

"Password?" The hoarse voice came from above her. Caramel berated herself for forgetting to watch the beams. That kind of mistake would have killed her if this had been 'enemy' territory. She was getting sloppy, having spent too much time off the streets. Maybe she should take some time off when all of this was over to visit Hollow and the others.

"Shinigami welcomes Caramel to his lair," she quietly called back. "Have Crawler and Jumper returned yet?"

A red-haired boy dropped to the floor in front of her, grinning deviously.

"Nah," he said, playing limberly with a butterfly. "Not since Shinigami dropped by to inform us of the attacks. They said they would be gone all night anyway. Dawn isn't here yet."

Caramel nodded and looked past him at the box-covered entrance to the lair. Turning back to the boy, she gave him a questioning look.

"How long will you be on watch?" she asked, looking carefully at him. He seemed rather awake for it to be so early.

The boy shrugged.

"For another four hours," he answered. "I just replaced Stripy."

She nodded and turned to walk to the stairs, leaving the boy to return to his watch. When she reached the boxes covering the entrance, he was already invisible.

When she entered the main room of the lair, she was immediately greeted by the lanky gang leader in Brussels, Sorrow, who raised a teasing eyebrow at her choice of clothes before pecking her on the cheek.

"Welcome back," he simply said, casually dropping down on a worn couch that had seen its better days about a decade ago, before the fire that had coloured it black. "Have any news? I have some for you."

Caramel frowned at the concealed sarcasm and fury behind his words. What was wrong?

"Yes," she carefully said, remaining standing as Sorrow hadn't bidden her to sit. As he was above her in the hierarchy she was bond by honour to obey him, and for now he had bidden her without words to remain standing. It was something that confirmed her feeling that something was wrong. Sorrow wasn't a person who got off on showing off his power. Duo would never appoint a leader who felt that way. "I retrieved the folder from Duo and turned it over to the pilots. The mission was successful."

Sorrow flew to his feet, the anger now visible on his face. Caramel stepped back, suddenly fearing the enraged person before her.

"The mission was a failure," he icily said, his hands clenching and his body rigid. "You were followed by Hel Inc. spies. Duo and Relena were compromised and taken in. You now what will happen. You know what the consequences can be."

Caramel paled, immediately realizing the graveness of the situation. Sinking to her knees before him, she bowed her head.

"What will you have me do?"

She didn't move as he crouched down before her, did not resist as he tipped her chin up, looking into her eyes.

"You will go to the pilots and alert them," he silently said, his amber eyes showing his deep disappointment and fear for their friend, mentor and leader. "I will prepare our team. You do realize that you will be marked for this?"

Caramel nodded. She didn't resist when he brought the henna.

**04.30am**

I immediately wake up the moment the shadow comes close to our bedroom door. Reaching for the stealth knife under my pillow, I soundlessly slide out of the bed, following Trowa who is already moving towards the door, his favourite, ugly throwing knife in his hand. Knowing that he knows I'm here, I slide into position by the door while he soundlessly launches up into a handstand on the slightly open door. 

As someone begins to slide through the crack, I move, kicking the door open while grabbing the shadow and shoving it further into the room. Trowa has already launched into the air and knocks the figure to the floor, landing securely in a crouch between the window and the shadow. It is trapped between us now, and there are few – if any – people who can outmatch two gundam pilots.

Groaning, the figure rises on its elbows, allowing the light from the moon to shine on her face. It's Caramel.

"Duo," she moans as she struggles to her knees. I think we were a little too rough with her. "They were compromised."

I stare at her for a second before sharing a quick look with Trowa.

"I'll get Heero."

**04.35am**

My eyes don't stray from the slight and weary figure of the woman known as Caramel as she relays everything she knows of Duo's capture. She seems truthful enough, but I know she is hiding something. While she most probably would fool even the OZ interrogators, she isn't lying convincingly enough to fool gundam pilots. 

"That's all I know," she finishes her tale, looking pleadingly at us. "Please, you have to move now! Don't you understand what they will do to him?"

I glare at her, stalking towards her. Having no displaced qualms about hurting women, I grab her roughly by her hair and stare icily into her eyes.

"I would advice you to tell us what you're withholding," I emotionlessly say, tightening my hold on her hair. It would have been her throat if she had not been one of Duo's agents. 

She stares frightfully at me, quivering as I reach up to take a rough hold of her face, probably bruising her heavily.

"I-I c-can't!" Caramel stammers, almost crying. "Duo ordered us to withhold it! I can't betray him! Please, you're wasting time! Duo could be tortured in this very moment! Why aren't you going after him?"

I release her with a mix of disgust and respect. Disgust because she cracked so easily. Respect because she follows Duo's instructions even under the threat of physical harm. Most civilian rattlers would have betrayed their leaders by now. Walking away, I leave it to Wufei to deal with the woman. If Duo is taken – and I do believe she spoke the truth about that – we need to prepare.

"We are soldiers, woman," Wufei coldly says as he steps forwards, taking his cue. Trowa walks over to me, leaving Quatre and Wufei to work the woman. "So is Duo. These are the things he is trained for. We will not risk everything for a single soldier, even if he is our friend. The mission has to come first. Duo understands that, even expects it."

"What we will not hesitate to do though," Quatre unemotionally picks up the thread, "is to kill you if you double cross us or Duo. You will…"

I shut out the conversation going on at the other side of the room and look stonily at Trowa.

"What equipment do we have?" I ask, mentally making a list of the gear I keep stashed in my duffel. "I have limited amounts explosives and basic gear stashed in my room. Do you have any short range weapons?"

Trowa nods and gestures towards Wufei.

"Yes," he silently says, "and Wufei has even more. Quatre, I believe, is equipped with hand grenades as well as the basics. What we _do_ lack though is communication gear."

I nod, glancing over at the interrogation. They seem to have reached an agreement.

"We should be able to get that from Rashid," I say. "Take Wufei and fetch everything. I'll look over the prints with Quatre; we need to move out within an hour. We'll meet here in twenty minutes."

**05.46am**

Waiting patiently for Heero to confirm his position, I crouch by the desk with Quatre, keeping a steady eye on the office door. We have broken into the building next to Hel Inc. and are currently hiding in an empty office on the seventh floor with a complete visual of the opposite building. Quatre is scanning the offices with custom made binoculars, while I am hacking into their surveillance cameras and keeping contact with Trowa and Heero while they infiltrate respective scales the Hel Inc building. 

"We're in position." Heero's voice sounds slightly breathless. Not even he can scale a building without catching a breath afterwards. "The explosives are successfully planted. What's your status?"

"No visual," I answer after a quick look at Quatre. "Floor zero to six checked. Estimated time to finish: 5 minutes."

"Confirmed."

Letting my fingers fly over the keyboard, I bring up the cameras of the seventh floor to the screen. No visual. A tap on the arm tells me that Quatre has gained a visual.

"Eighth floor," he silently says. "Office F812."

I nod and rapidly tap into the cameras in question. Smiling with malicious satisfaction, I contact Heero.

"We have a visual. Office F812. Subjects both in the room together with the target and two guards within room."

"Understood. Clear!"

Quatre and I dive onto the floor, five seconds before the soft sound of Plexiglas being pierced and two thuds alerting us to the arrival of two black wires attached to two crossbow arrows. Immediately getting to our feet, we split up, each securing an arrow to the pillars by the windows.

"Clear," I report, putting the laptop back into the black backpack I'm wearing.

"Coming down."

A slight whir is heard and about twenty seconds later, Heero hits the window with a thump, kicking in the loose glass rectangle Quatre cut loose when I booted the laptop earlier. The glass doesn't shatter as it lands on the floor, but do crack as Heero lands heavily on it, unclipping from the wire.

"Report!" he orders even as Quatre signals Trowa in the other building with a penlight.

"The subjects are unharmed though restrained," I tell him while cutting the wire. "The guards are carrying standard guns as well as batons. No other weapons visible."

"Hn."

Quatre waves us over and hands me a harness even as Heero clips onto the wire and disappears into the darkness of predawn, quickly followed by Quatre and the bag with the weapons Heero and Trowa had to leave behind as they carried out their parts of the mission. Before following them, I check for any incriminating evidence in the office we've occupied. Then, I hook myself up and disappear as well.

**06.06am**

Walking up behind the guard, I swiftly grab him and cut his throat before he has a chance to shout. Dragging him into a nearby utility closet, I scan for any onlookers. Not finding any, I wave for Wufei and Quatre to continue down the corridor. I close the door behind me and walk over to the grating covering the entrance of the ventilation ducts. As if by magic, it falls away, revealing Heero's face.

Catching the grating I replace it after Heero has extracted himself.

"Well?" I say, looking at him while holding out his gun.

"They're interrogating them," he shortly says, frowning as he grabs it. "It seems like the target has changed his objective to include the deaths of all of us. Where is 04 and 05?"

"They're taking care of the two next guards," I reply and start walking. "We're taking the left corridor."

**06.19am**

The COM link crackles slightly as I wait for Wufei to answer the query I made. Trowa and I have taken up posture by the main door leading into the room while Quatre and Wufei are taking the second door that connects the office to the one next to it. We will go in as soon as they're in position.

"We're there," Wufei reports. "Countdown."

I smile grimly. If everything goes as it should, this will be over soon.

"On three," I neutrally say. "One, two, THREE."

Trowa kicks the door open and I move in, gun in hand and in complete mission mode. Hearing Wufei and Quatre enter in the same manner, I quickly pinpoint the locations of the subjects as well as the guards. Quickly taking down guard number one, I slide between the windows and the target. Two seconds later, the room is still once again with Quatre, Wufei, Trowa and me trapping Relena, Duo and Thor Arvidsen between us, guns pointed at Arvidsen.

Absently noticing that Relena doesn't seem to take being tied up and gagged very well, I frown at Arvidsen's cool stature.

"Put down any weapon you may carry," I order, never letting myself relax the slightest. Nor do I let myself see if Duo truly is all right. I am the Perfect Soldier. In this moment I need to be him. "Slowly."

Arvidsen simply smiles and nonchalantly shrugs.

"I see no reason for such a thing," he coldly says, actually seeming relaxed. Something is wrong.

"03," I sharply say.

Trowa nods, understanding my command, and starts to walk towards Arvidsen, gun still point black at the man. Putting away his gun, he reaches out to search the man. A sharp crack is heard and Trowa cries out, grabbing his arm. It's broken to the point that the bone is sticking out from the skin. Following up the blow that broke the arm is a quick leg, which fells him to the ground. Over him stands a blank faced Duo with Trowa's blood staining his slender hands.

"I'm sorry, but I cannot let you do that," he detachedly says. I start to move in, half by habit, half by worry for Duo. What's going on? 

At the moment I start to move though, Duo's face turns towards me. It's then I realize it. This isn't Duo, this is Shinigami Final v.6.2.2. A mad laughter turns my body in that direction on autopilot, my mind too numb to do anything but react.

"I'm sorry, did I forget to introduce you?" Arvidsen evilly says, resting an affectionate hand on Duo's shoulder. "This is Daemon. My pet warrior and most fierce protector…"

TBC


	16. Default Chapter

Chapter Fifteen 

**_"""_**_Teasing Mr. I'm-so-unfeeling-you-could-cut-off-my-arm-and-I-wouldn't-notice-it has always been a favourite thing of mine to do. Not only doesn't he notice it, but the guy also seems to be completely unfazed when I so nicely translate it. If I don't insult his computer or gun that is. If I do, I'll find myself with a black eye and an aching stomach before I have the chance to blink. That's the kind of guy Heero is. To survive being friends with him, you better adapt or die._

_This is why I'm surprised that Heero let my insults go that day. Until I learned of the reason of course. The threat of sharing space with _that_ girl could make even the most cutting insult become the most flattering praise. Judging from the murderous look on his face, that was what Heero thought at least._

_I'm not questioning how Heero got his information. He _is_ a formidable hacker after all. Not to mention a quick call to my current contact at Earth, Sorrow, confirmed it. Sorrow, though, threw in the information that the Preventers were in chaos, something that worried me. No matter what I personally think of the Preventers, they're the only ones beside us pilots who have the resources to stand against an eventual attack._

_By the time I had contacted my own sources, Heero and I had already taken the Winner Shuttle I had arrived to the colony with, heading towards the colony Relena was currently on. It became another walk down the memory lane for me. Things I thought I'd forgotten popped to the surfaces, bringing feelings of helplessness to my mind. Yet, it was something that had to happen. The world was reaching a conclusion, and so was I._

_We had been travelling for almost a quarter of an hour when Quatre hailed me. He briefed my about his intentions on the gundams – of the large possibility that he would manage to cut them off and bring them back. It was then I gave up. It was then I surrendered to Shinigami. It was then I realized.**"""**_

I am staring up at my assailant, blatant disbelief in my heart and eyes. Duo – _he_ is the man who's been trying to kill Relena? _He_ is behind all the attempts on our lives? I can't believe it! The dull throbbing of my broken arm tells me about the probability of that thought though. Duo has betrayed us; he is the 'pet' of the man trying to wreck our hard-earned peace. Yet there is something, which strikes a wrong cord within me when it comes to this. There are too many things that don't add up.

Chancing a look into Duo's violet eyes I can't help but shudder at the emptiness in there. It is as if his mind is blank, as if his soul has been wiped away. Like he's a machine. Has he been like this since all this begun? I actually can't remember, which proves how much I've slackened after the end of the war. Peace isn't a good way to keep your skills sharp. 

What I do remember though is the shiftiness as he briefed me. The way he always seemed to be prepared when something happened. I have to admit he had the possibility to do all that he now stands accused for. The only thing that confuses me is that none of his operations have succeeded. Duo is a formidable strategist and tactician. If he truly wanted us dead, we would be dead by now. What _is_ going on here?

When Duo's attention goes from me to Heero, I start to crawl away. I know he's aware of it, the slight tensing of his body as I move tells it, but he doesn't strike out at me. Either he isn't completely under Arvidsen's thumb, or he doesn't see me as a threat. I don't know which one I should believe. Which leads me to my next question. Why is he doing this? I cannot see the answer to that. The Duo I thought I knew would never do something like that of his own free will. Does that prove that he isn't doing this freely, that Arvidsen is forcing him somehow, or does it prove that I never really knew him? I don't know, and my heart stubbornly tells me that I don't want to either.

I have now reached the floor by Quatre's feet and he crouches down by me with a disturbed and oddly thoughtful look on his face.

"Are you all right?" he furiously whispers, giving me a worried look. I know he doesn't mean it literary; it's rather obvious I'm not with that nasty piece of bone sticking out of my arm. What he's truly asking is if it's on a level I can manage.

"Yes," I blandly answer, even as I finger my arm, ignoring the sharp pain shooting through me. I've been through worse. "Help me set this, please."

It isn't really a request. Quatre nods and reaches out to grasp my arm securely. Half a minute later, my arm is set and securely pinned to the side of my body with my and Quatre's belt. It hurts even more than before, but that's only to be expected. Rising to my feet, I turn my attention to Duo and his master before us. Arvidsen is bragging about his tool to Heero, managing to infuriate my friend beyond belief. If Heero gets the chance, that man will not be alive when he leaves this building.

A split second before the man's attention turns to me with an evil grin, I see a shift in the room. Skills honed by years of training warn me. Something is about to happen.

"Looks like my pet can do damage even to you unbeatable pilots," he taunts. "And everyone says you are the best soldiers there are. Tsk, tsk. What has the world come to if weaklings like you are considered warriors?"

He is trying to reel us up. Waste of his time really, none of us care about petty insults. It's not like we haven't heard them before. Ignoring him, I intently watch Heero who is speaking rapidly with Wufei in some obscure Chinese dialect that I highly doubt Duo knows. Unfortunately, neither do I because I can sense the power coming from shifting.

Suddenly, I'm aware of movement and turn my attention to Duo. He has moved from Arvidsen's side and is moving towards Heero and Wufei. Apparently he noticed the change too. Attacking Wufei, he involves him in a battle of hands and feet. Dealing with some pretty heavy damages, Wufei is hard pressed not to get pummelled into a pulp. Did any of us even know that Duo is a more than proficient martial arts artist? I don't think so. We know so little of him. It frightens me, how could we miss something like this in a man we've spent years with in intimate quarters and combats?

Duo has hit Wufei hard and our friend is wavering, nursing broken fingers and a shoulder that looks dislocated. Forming bruises on his skin also tells of the pain he will be in tomorrow, if he lives to see it. Wufei is staring at Duo in a baffled manner with Duo just looking back. Arvidsen is speaking again.

"I think it will please you to know that the first thing I plan to do when I have gained the position as president is to get rid of those puny colonies. A nuisance is what they are…"

I filter him out again. I've heard it all before. I instead focus on what to do. The first thing on my list is to free Relena. She has been here longer that us. It's quite possible that she knows something we don't. Sneaking over to Relena, I start to loosen her binds. Duo turns to me with flashing eyes, intending to stop my doings, but at the same time Heero attacks him. This was most probably the reason to the earlier shifting. It's proving rather unimportant though. Not even Heero seems to be able to overpower Duo. But he _is_ strong enough to keep him very busy. For that, I'm thankful.

Finally ridding Relena of her last ties and the gag, I rapidly shove her into the corner behind Quatre. We need to get her out of the way. For the moment, she I more important than anything else. Before I can take stand in front of her, she desperately latches on to my shirt, gripping it with a fervour that surprises me.

"Please," she whispers hoarsely, betraying that she most probably has been calling out for help for a long time. "Duo… He isn't right…his mind… Please. He told me... Quatre… Tell him…"

She doesn't get any further as she slips into unconsciousness due to her stressful day. I ponder her last words. Tell Quatre? Tell Quatre what? What is it that she seems to think is important enough to get out in the middle of a battle? Deciding that this is a question better left for Quatre, the one it was intended for, I sidle up to my lover again, who is watching Heero's and Duo's fight with apparent fascination.

My mind is overwhelmed by feelings, emotions. They're bleeding out of all the persons in the room, filling my mind with tidal waves. It feels like I will be washed away at any moment, like the tides are carrying me away. I'm fighting to stay aware even as I shield more and more to block the emotional storms out. The emotions are driving me crazy! I need to think! 

Slowly, I'm beginning to learn how to shut the storm out, only feeling soft resonating as a particularly strong feeling slide over my shields. Calming my slightly erratic breathing, I take in the situation before me. Trowa is protecting Relena behind him and me, Wufei is keeping an eye on the whole situation, his black eyes slightly glazed as he focuses on not feeling the pain of his broken fingers and dislocated shoulder. Heero is fighting Duo.

If it hadn't been such a serious event, the beauty of the fight before me would amaze me. Their movements are utterly fluid and so fast I almost see their limbs as a blur. While they're not equal, not with the inhuman reflexes and swiftness of Duo's movements, they seem to fight at the same level. Especially as Heero throws in all the strength he has in his tight body to counter the braided man's limberness.

Wincing as Heero catches a particularly nasty blow to the side of the head, I become aware of a nagging thought in my head. It wants to remind me of something and I focus on it, sensing that it is important. However, just as I have it in my grasp, Trowa walks up to my side, touching my face with a cold and tense hand.

"Cat?" he silently says, his green eyes searching mine. "Relena said something… She wanted me to tell you something about Duo."'

I frown, inadvertently throwing a glance in the blonde woman's direction. She is unconscious, most likely from the stress of the situation. Tensing for a second as Arvidsen moves on with his continuous blabbering, I glare at the man. I doubt he even realizes that no one's listening. For a supposed genius he is surprisingly dense. But then again, with a situation like this, he doesn't _need_ intelligence. He has all the odds on his side.

Turning my attention to Trowa again, I look pensively at him.

"Do you have any idea what she wanted?" I ask under my breath, biting my lip. "It might be important, she has been here longer than us…"

Trowa shook his head.

"No. The only thing she managed to get out was something about Duo not being right and that I needed to tell you something."

At that precise moment, a light comes alive in my mind and I remember. He knew all along! He knew that… I quickly close off that particular trail of thought. There's no time. I need to end this, now. 

Grabbing the pack on my back, I shrug it off and kneel, anxiously shuffling through it while unconsciously repeating Duo's fateful words in my mind over and over again.

_"You will never have to experience the Zero system again. This time, I will have to be the one to do it."___

_"Convert the discs to nanochips and place them in the set I mentioned. That way, we'll be   
able to use it whenever it will be needed."_

_"You'll know what to do when the time comes."_

I do know, and as my fingers close around the custom made head set Duo gave to me for this, I feel my heart go cold. ZERO is about to come out and play again. I have a feeling it won't be pretty.

**TBC**


	17. Default Chapter

Chapter Sixteen 

"""Heero was asleep by the time we arrived at the colony. By the looks of it, it wasn't very restful though. Using the excuse of our arrival, I punched him lightly in the shoulder to wake him while calling his name softly. He woke up instinctively of course; we all do after all with our training. It wasn't hard to see in his eyes the relief for me waking him up. I'm not even going to speculate what he dreamt of then. Considering my own nightmares, I don't think I want to know either.

****

He wanted me to take us in. That ruffled me slightly. Sure, I know that with my superior reflexes I was the best-suited one to do it, but I had no idea that Heero knew that. What did he know about me? Did he only think I was a talented and skilful pilot, or had he found out something more? It wasn't something I had the time to ponder though, seeing as the bastard started shooting on us. Reflexes or no reflexes, it's hard to fly in a rain of missiles. Thank lord Noin and Sally showed up. Wanted to help us crash the party I guess.

_I'm the first to admit that my landing wasn't one of the most graceful I've done in my life. I would have been surprised if it had been. As it is, I'm just happy that we got in alive. Especially after watching the security tapes afterwards. It's scary to see how fast I react when I really have to. It did bring us in alive though, and that is all that matters._

_We abandoned the shuttle after that, naturally stealing a suit each and splitting up. Soon after that I ran into Trowa. Let me tell you that was scary. Especially as he fired those missiles at me. Normal suits aren't custom outfitted as Deathscythe after all and not nearly as fast. I had to work like a dog to even stay alive. I'm just thanking God Trowa did not intend to kill me. Even if I five minutes later dearly wished he had."""_

Shinigami unfeelingly throws a hard punch at Heero, following it up with a kick aimed at the other's legs. The enemy jumps and retorts with a kick of his own. A jab and the man's leg collapse. *--_Heero! Rise dammit, you know that pressure point! --*_ A failed punch, but the following blows land on Heero's face, breaking the nose and splitting a lip once more. Then the other is centred once again, exploding in a flurry of moves, an incredible strength behind each of them; Shinigami barely manages to block them, the other is well trained and skilled. A hairline fracture in Shinigami's arm. Nothing to worry about. *--_Way to go, Heero. Keep him occupied. Relena will soon be free.--*_

Shinigami senses something within and glances in the direction of the prisoner. A subject is closing in on her. Not good. Pain exploding in Shinigami's lower back. Almost falling, he manages with a stumble, immediately following up by kicking the legs out under the Asian man and stepping harshly on his leg. Not a break as the other man moved too fast. A kick aimed towards Shinigami's middle almost connects. Shinigami grips it though and twists it only to receive a kick in the face for the try. *--_Good Heero. She has alerted Trowa. Go to Quatre, Tro! Tell him… Damn!--*_

Shinigami lands series of blows to Heero's chest as the man is off balance after a connecting flying kick. A block, but several ribs are broken. He is slowing down and Shinigami smirks with empty eyes. The Master will be pleased. *--_Yes! Quatre understands. Now find the damn thing!--*_ A trick and Shinigami receives a hard punch on the kneecap and falls to his knees. It will not support his body well. A swipe with a leg and the Asian man lies on the floor as well, taking a kick in the head.

Then Shinigami stills. *--_Finally!--*_ Duo wrenches the body into submission and catch the device Quatre throws at him. Slipping it around his neck, he attaches it to the implant for the malady. It's connected to the brain and will serve as well as the devices used in Wing. A sharp pain, travelling up…up… The world goes black.

I'm floating. Lights are swirling around me, and I absently follow the pretty patterns with my eyes. So beautiful…

_//"It's a beautiful being, sir. May I ask why you engineered it this way? It may be easy on the eye, but it will never reach six feet or develop bulging muscles like the conventional soldier." _

_"The subject is no conventional soldier. The DNA we put together for it are perfect for spy activity and assassin missions. As an androgynous man, the subject will slip into its roles easier. It has the perfect body for the missions we intend to give it."//_

Memories are welling in my mind. It hurts, I guess, ZERO always hurts, but I cannot feel it. My training won't allow it. Nor will my body. Shinigami protects me.

//"We need to give it a codename for its missions. It will be best if it is ingrained already at this state, it will have to learn humanity." 

"Yes. And no. We cannot give it a human name. It isn't human; it cannot be allowed the illusion of being one. Give it a word to be called by. No more, no less."

"Hm. You're right. I think we will call it…Shinigami. Yes, it seems right. 'The God of Death'. It fits the creature who will bring terror to the world at my command."//

The birth of Shinigami, of me. I can remember it now. I know what they did to me.

//"Is it complete?"

_"Yes, it is fully trained. Shinigami will answer to your every command as soon as you activate him with the word. It is ready for the final touches before the training begins."_

_"Good. Then it is time to remove the last obstruction on the way. Prepare for the surgery to remove the barcode. You will assist me."_

_"Yessir."//_

That was the last time I spent in the lab before my escape. But the drugs they used on me that night wiped my memory. Only ZERO could drag them out, only ZERO can help me break free. And it does. My lips give birth to a smile on my lips. A beautifully gentle smile that is also completely insane.

Absently going through my injuries, I watch Duo – no, _Shinigami_, go down. Pinching a nerve in my arm, I rid myself of the pain originating from the broken bones in my hand. I will need to be able to fight to get out of here. He is lying on the floor, his eyes open and blank. He's fighting whatever holding him tied top Arvidsen. If the thing Quatre threw at Duo is what I believe it is, Arvidsen has no chance. I should know.

A shiver goes through him, and Duo opens his eyes. I say Duo, because this is not the person controlled by the madman vying to take over the world. The insane smile on his lips tells me that better than everything. However, it also tells me that my suspicions about Quatre's device are correct. Arvidsen, meet Shinigami merged with ZERO. Mind if I stay out of this?

At the same time, the doors burst open and guards start welling in. Kisama! They have finally discovered our presence. Reacting in a split second, accompanied by Heero, Trowa and Quatre, we get in between the guards and Arvidsen. We split off in pairs, running towards a door each. And then the fight begins.

Ducking a gun, I wrench the arm of the shooter around and squeeze the trigger, hitting one of the men behind him. Disposing of the body with a sharp crack as I break his neck, I continue shooting while Heero runs right into the mass, taking down two of the guards in the first ten seconds. These guys are not prepared for Gundam pilots. 

Letting go of the body, I step over it even as I block a punch and return it with a jab to the chest. My opponent will never see the light of the day again, but Heero and I have reached our goal as we slide into place on both sides of the door. We will be able to easily defend the door now. Thank you, Arvidsen, for having thick walls.

Risking a quick glance in the direction of Quatre and Trowa, I'm just in time to see Quatre effectively cut the throat of a guard even as Trowa clears two corridors outside with an automatic stolen from one of the first guards. There is no doubt that more guards will come, but it seems we are safe for now.

Not relaxing the slightest though, I turn to watch Duo. He has backed Arvidsen into a corner and is currently closing in on the man. The owner of Hel Inc. seems to have realized that he has lost control of his creation, and he is babbling furiously in an attempt to save his life. Judging from the look on Duo, that will not be the case. I shudder, to watch Duo's face in the middle of a battle is to watch the face of death. It never seize to surprise me how completely different Duo is when he's not in battle mode.

"Stop." Differently from Arvidsen's inaudible babble, Duo's voice is clear, sharp and utterly emotionless. "Meaningless talking will not do anything to spare your life. I'm not your subject. Not anymore. Lucky for you though, I have questions to ask. I advice you to answer them if you want to live longer."

Arvidsen nods frantically. It has always amused me to a certain degree how quickly former powerful men can be reduced to a heap if you take away their power. Are they truly that fickle?

"Anything!" he pleads. "I will answer everything. Please, Shinigami…"

As Duo lashes out in fury, the strength behind the blow causing Arvidsen's nose to crack, I quickly take back my former theory. Maybe the man is simply afraid because he _knows_ what Duo is capable of. If that's the case, I understand the fear. No one mess with Shinigami or his friends.

"Don't call me that!" Duo's normally cheerful voice is tight and furious, overtones of ZERO in his mind clear as a summer's day. I can only hope he will be able to retreat from the ZERO induced bliss when all of this is over. "The creature you called 'Shinigami' is no more! I am Duo,_ not_ the boy you reduced to something less than human. You will not _dare_ to assume anything about me."

The man shrinks back, his hands flying up to cover his face. I doubt he even feels the pain due to the fear.

"Y-yes," he stammers, looking up at Duo.

The young man I consider my friend doesn't change his expression, but only narrows his eyes as he crouches down to the same level as his adversary. He looks like nothing but an enraged cat. I'm almost expecting him to start hissing any minute.

"Have you created any others like me?"

The question is spoken as a growl, but it nevertheless catches the attention of everyone in the room. Heero almost snaps his head as he turns from watching the corridors and Quatre has an openly alarmed look on his face. More engineered soldiers like Duo? It cannot be, it…

"No, you're our only project. W-we were going to, but when you got loose, we lost our data with you."

The words has barely passed Arvidsen's lips before Duo lashes out once again, this time knocking him out with a pressure point I recognize only vaguely. My technique is built mostly on medicine and its uses within that area, but Duo's seems more battle oriented. It's understandable.

A collective sigh goes through the room, and everyone eases up. Thank Nataku for that answer! Even Duo's eyes become less hard, and the tension in his body lessens somewhat. ZERO's influence seems to be receding with that answer. It makes me wonder, how come Duo is able to control ZERO so easily?

"He knows himself," Heero quietly answers my unasked question as he pass me by; heading towards the man I strongly suspect is his lover. Their relationship seems to go too deep to be 'only' friendship.

Pondering Heero's comment, I take his place to watch the corridor.

Walking towards the man I love, I thank every deity I can think of that he is all right once again. I don't know what truly happened to him to make him that way, nor do I care. I'm just glad he's back. 

Arriving just as Duo stands up, I meet his violet eyes for a second before opening my arms to him. He almost collapses against me, his fists grabbing my shirt and his head burying itself in my chest. I can almost sense the weariness inside him, from fighting us, from being afraid of our reactions. Not to mention that his knee has to be hurting like hell. I know my hand-to-hand battle, and my kick no doubt did some serious damage to his kneecap.

"Duo?" I calmly whisper, stroking his hair calmingly with one hand even as I hold him up with my other arm. There is no answer, and when I lift his head to look at him, his beautiful eyes are glassy and empty. "Shit! He's lost consciousness. We need to get out of here. Wufei, is anyone coming?"

The other Asian in our group shakes his head.

"No," he reports. "It's weird though. I would have thought more would have arrived by now."

"We can't worry about that know," I interrupt. "Duo needs to get to a hospital. Quatre, you grab Arvidsen. Wufei, you'll take Relena. Trowa, you'll take the lead. I'll follow with Duo. We will just have to chance it. And with all this noise, the Preventers should be here by now, no doubt. If we can just get to the bottom floor everything should be alright."

No one questions my orders, and we file out, slipping quickly through the corridors as we head towards the stairs. We have not even come two corners from the office when a shadow drops from a vent and we all stiffen, preparing to fight again. The shadow quickly steps into the light though, proving to be a lanky young man with a worried look in his grey eyes.

"Shinigami's enemy is your enemy," he swiftly says before showing us his empty hands. Another of Duo's operatives. "I'm sorry about the guards, but some managed to slip by before we got to their stations. You have free passage down now."

A hesitant look flitters over his face.

"Is Duo all right?" he asks, betraying the fondness all of Duo's operatives seem to hold for him.

"He will be, Mr.?" Quatre answers politely, ever the politician.

"Sorrow," the young man replies even as he turns to disappear again. Then he's gone.

TBC


	18. Default Chapter

Chapter Seventeen 

**_"""_**_Trust is a nice thing. Not necessarily a _good_ thing, but nice. I've always liked the feeling of having someone to trust. Most likely because it's very rare for me. Too rare in fact, as a certain blond Arabian told me. At least I have someone. But as I said before, trust isn't always good – or well placed. As an example: I trust Heero. That is a good thing 90% of the time, but every now and then, he does something that breaks it. Like on that colony that night when he doubted me._

_We had gotten to our goal, all three of us, and I had settled with checking on Quatre through one of the first class computers of the control room. The news on that end was good, he was going to reach the gundams in time and get them back. I, of course, emailed back with our own report together with Heero's slightly odd orders about Wing. By then, Heero and Trowa had discussed themselves to a plan, right on time too as troops appeared that very moment. That was when it happened._

_Heero called me over then. He asked me to hit him, to hit him hard. A rather strange request, but I didn't question it. I _did_ hold back on my strength though. No need to beat the poor guys face into a pulp. The hit from Heero following up my punch took me by surprise. Not as much that I couldn't have blocked it, but as I earlier established, I trust Heero. These were one of those times when I shouldn't have though._

_He got me in the stomach, just above my crotch, and let me tell you, that _hurt_. Not that it bothered me much though. I had more problems with the fact that I couldn't breathe. Even then though, I had the presence of mind to question Heero. His answer wasn't too satisfactory though. It made me realize that even if Heero did acknowledge me as a soldier, he still didn't see the whole picture. He couldn't see that even if I'm mainly a stealth artist relying on shadows and careful moving, I'm a former thief and street child as well. I can run, I can fight dirty. Heero couldn't see that. He couldn't see that I was just as able to escape as he was._

_The soldiers entered the room just a few seconds after Trowa hefted me to his shoulder. I played my role well, lying there and looking unconscious while Heero escaped. When I then was dumped in a cell, I immediately plotted how to get out of there. It wouldn't be difficult, but if I was going to escape, I could as well do it just before the gundams will arrive. So I did one of the things I do best while waiting. I catnapped._

_The moral of this though, is that even though I trusted Heero, he didn't trust me. _That_ though, I wouldn't work out with him as soon as I had the time. For even though we still 'won', things could have gone different if he had just trusted me to handle myself just as he trusted me to able to control ZERO. This is not the time to dwell on the past though. Now, Heero trusts me as much as I trust him, and all is well with the world.**"""**_

The hospital doors slide open and we step out onto the parking lot. A car driven by Rashid is waiting just a bit away, and we head in that direction, no doubt looking ridiculous in our roughened up states. None of us has come away from this without injuries. Heero has broken ribs, a light concussion, a broken nose and several minor injuries. Trowa has his broken arm and a light bullet wound across his cheek. Quatre has a couple of broken toes as well as a twisted wrist due to a particularly large guard. Wufei has four broken fingers, a couple of knife wounds and an arm in a sling due to a swollen shoulder. I myself have a nicely swollen knee and am currently jumping around on crutches. Quite a collection of injuries, huh?

"Duo!" I look up as a voice call my name, breaking out in a smile as Relena comes running over. As the only one in our little group not to get hurt, she has  been staying in our Maguanac secured building over the night and seems to have arrived with Rashid. Catching her in a hug, I chuckle a bit as she holds on to me carefully for a moment or two, before stepping back, smiling warmly at me. Who'd had thought we'd become such good friends?

"Hi to you to Relena," I say then, tucking a random wisp of hair behind her ear affectionately. "Are you all right? Sorrow said you slept most of the day and night after we got out of that place."

Relena chuckles lightly and glances in Rashid's direction.

"Yes," she admits, "Rashid took care of me. He's really nice, you know. Reminds me of my father"

I grin at that, throwing the proud Maguanac a teasing grin.

"So you do," I comment quirkily, then give her a serious look. "You do realize that this isn't the end of this though? There are still people out there just as Arvidsen."

Relena nods sombrely.

"I know," she silently says, then looks up with a small smile. "You'll help me keep them at bay?"

Laughing slightly, I hug her briefly.

"Yeah," I say. "And as the contract said, the time I'm not going to be available, you're going to have the protection of my best men and women. We're not going to let them come to you, Relena."

Relena nods, her blue eyes shining slightly as she gestures towards the car.

"I guess we should get going," she says. "There are a lot of things we need to speak about."

I nod and start to hop my way to the car with my fellow pilots, friends and lover. As we reach the limo, I chuck in my crutches before stepping in myself with the careful help of Heero. Squeezing his hand gently before letting go, I slide into the car. When Heero has taken place beside me, the car starts and begin the journey to our temporary home.

Smoothening my black skirt, I look around at the people gathered around the homey living room. We have all gathered in the top suite at Quatre's building where he has his guest apartment, waiting for the tale to begin. Rashid and the usual guards have politely retreated to give us some privacy, even if I don't doubt he has enough guards to man a frontal attack on the Peace Palace stationed out of hearing range of normal speech for protection. That man takes his job seriously, and for that, I respect him.

Looking at Duo, I can almost see how nervous he is about this. He is after all revealing a secret he's kept for his whole life. That is never easy, it can't be. Duo's anxiousness shows that if anything.

"I guess you want to hear the tale behind all this," the braided man I consider my friend hesitantly begins, our companions mercifully keeping back any comments. "Truth is, I don't know the whole tale. What I know though, I will tell you. My first memory is…"

Already knowing all of this, I let my mind drift as duo explains everything to our mutual friends. Regarding their various positions in the room, I lazily realize how easy it is to see the relationship between the five of them. They're all sitting around and in a large, mauve couch to begin with, Heero and duo taking up most of it as Duo lies reclined on it with his injured leg, resting against Heero's chest. Heero himself is absently playing with Duo's long bangs, occasionally sneaking himself a caress of Duo's cheek. Every time he does that, Duo leans in to the touch and I can almost imagine a purr rumbling deep in his chest.

Trowa is sitting in a stuffed armchair slightly in front of and next to the couch, Quatre leaning against his knees while sitting on the thick carpet. The blonde is holding Trowa's hand and he has a calm smile stretched over his face, similar to the less noticeable smile on Trowa's. Wufei is leaning against the side of the armchair, also on the floor and positioned between the two couples. Even though he has no physical contact with any of them, it's easy to see that he is content as he is, surrounded by his closest friends. 

Duo has stopped speaking now, and is looking down at his chest, unsure of the reactions he will receive. Judging from the various expressions around the room though, I wouldn't believe the explosions he expects will come though. In fact, it seems like most of them already had their suspicions. Heero's expressions even imply he already know, but I suspect that is because Duo told him.

When someone finally speaks up, it's surprisingly enough Trowa.

"How come Arvidsen could control you?" he calmly says, watching his friend with a curious look." I can understand the need for ZERO to break loose, but how did you get in that position in the first place?"

As Duo looks up, I have to keep back a grin at his surprise. He didn't expect such acceptance of his little announcement I guess. This only proves how close the five of them really are though. The surprise easily shifts into clinical pensiveness as Duo forms his answer.

"I believe I went through some sort of behaviour modification at the lab," he slowly said, his voice sounding slightly absent. Heero is holding his hand now, the other arm wrapped around Duo's chest. "I was made to be a creature living only to serve, and that was the way they trained me, broke me. But I never had the chance to go through the last training, which would leave me completely under Arvidsen's command. When Arvidsen found me, I had no other choice but to obey. But his hold on me was incomplete. That was how I kept anything too grave from happening. How I planned the breakout. I knew that ZERO could break Arvidsen's grasp on me, but I also knew I had to do it while in a position to defeat him. Which leads to the now."

Silence fall over the room for a minute while everyone ponders what Duo just said. Eventually, I decide to break to silence.

"Well, all things are all right now," I lightly comment, receiving two grateful looks from Duo respective Heero. Isn't it ironic that the first time Heero looks at me with something else than spite, it is due to Duo? I certainly think so. "The question I know we are all anxiously hoping to get answer to though is, how large _is_ your information net really? It seems like where ever we go, we meet your operatives."

"Yes," Wufei agree, something akin to impatience in his voice. "And who is Sorrow? He just showed up from nowhere to clean up our way out…"

Duo smiles a bit at that, easing the air much.

"I have informants almost everywhere," he humble says, "especially in formerly or current slum areas. They are mostly former street children of L2 and their followers. The number has grown quickly during the years. For reasons I don't quite understand, they seem to consider me their leader. Sorrow is a very old friend of mine, as well as the leader for my informants here in Brussels. It's he who sent Caramel among other things."

There are an outbreak of understanding nods around the room, and a discussion concerning Duo's network start. Listening quietly to the argument, I relish in the relaxed air. When the discussion finally dwindles down almost an hour later, I'm almost asleep, a smile on my lips. These are good times, no matter what threats are made. Because we are all together.

TBC


	19. Default Chapter

**Epilogue **

I won't dwell on what happened after my escape from the cell. Nor will I talk much of the battle following it. After all, it was as most battles are, with the exception that we didn't fight to kill this time. And let me tell you, that certainly made things harder, not to mention messier. That's the price you have to pay for being the good guy, I guess. 

I wasn't surprised when Heero showed up late for the battle. After all, Wufei had arrived just a minute before him, so it wasn't hard to guess what had happened. It was rather obvious that Heero had somehow made Wufei see the light of day, and considering the nature of those two, I doubt they did it while doing check-ups on Wing Zero. 

The battle pretty much stilled when Heero took stand above Mariemeia's safe house. Everyone was too distracted with watching him to fight. How could one not? The guy was destroying the safe house as if it had been made of mud and sticks. I probably would have been staring too, if it hadn't been for the fact that the mess by my feet kept pulling on my attention. Deathscythe is a heavy fellow after all, and with all the people running around protesting, it was hard to find somewhere to put my feet. Or his feet. Whatever. 

The battle was over before any of us knew it. Heero pulverized the shelter and meanwhile Une and Relena took down the rebels with a bit of help from the former Treize's fraction. An official statement or two later, we were having bonfires with weapons and celebrating the new won fight for peace. Or at least the people were. Us Gundam pilots mostly concentrated on finding a place to hide the Gundams, including the mess left of Wing Zero which Heavyarms and Deathscythe shared the burden of. After that, we immediately went to the hospital to see to Heero. The people had their priorities, we had ours. They weren't the same. 

At the hospital, they told us that Heero would be fine, that he mostly was exhausted. They didn't expect him to be awake for hours, and so they had deposited him in a bed with a nurse on standby. Heero, of course, has never been one for being predictable. When the four of us slipped into his room, we found him quite awake and ripping IVs out of his arms. 

As one can guess, he (and we) was out of the hospital five minutes later and heading for one of Quatre's places. There, we prepared to meet the following time. 

The next few days were hectic. Relena, Une and Quatre did their best to keep all us pilots' identities a secret, managing it well despite the media's desperate attempts to uncloak us. We might have been spotted briefly, but with the lack of records on us... Let's just say it worked for us. 

Despite our luck in concealing our identities, it was quickly realized that with us staying together, there was a grand chance of them finding us. So we split up. Heero went to have a talk with Relena's security and see to that the event never repeated itself. Trowa returned to spend time with Catherine, Quatre staying with his sisters. Wufei was invited to take a job with the Preventers by Sally and I, I went to help Hilde with her salvage company. 

This is where I'm writing this now, at a hotel close to Hilde's place. The reason I'm writing is that I've received a letter. A letter telling that someone knows of me. Someone that was present when I was created. I will meet him tomorrow. If all goes well, I'm happy, but as I have a feeling it won't I'm leaving this behind. At the chance that I don't return for this before six PM tomorrow, this will go to Quatre. Then he will know. 

Guess this is it. 

Shinigami Duo Maxwell 

The End. 


End file.
